Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — While the amendment of the Constitution is not a priority of Congress, the Senate will allow discussions on the matter, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Tuesday.
“Charter change was never really on our agenda. As you have seen, there were about 20 legislative priorities that we discussed in the [Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council] and charter change was not one of these,” he told reporters.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that changing the Constitution was not a priority of his administration.
‘A divisive issue’
“I welcome the statement of the President because, at this point in time, we do not want to put in anything that is divisive — and I think [changing the Constitution] is a divisive issue,” Zubiri said.
But he clarified that the Senate leadership would not stop Sen. Robinhood Padilla, chair of the Senate constitutional amendments, from conducting hearings and lodging the measure in the plenary for deliberations.
“I’m not saying it’s dead. Sen. Robin Padilla can continue with his discussions on Charter change but that will be up to the committee report only, and we will have to see if the senators will sign it because I have talked to some of my colleagues who are opposed to it,” Zubiri said.
He added that the executive and legislative branches would focus on measures resulting in “post-pandemic recovery and reconstruction.”
These, according to Zubiri, included the following:
- proposed ratification of the country’s participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
- the creation of the Center for Disease Control and the Virology Institute
- the proposed establishment of the country’s Medical Corps
- the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course
- the setting up of the Maharlika Investment Fund
“What the country needs to do now is to focus on enriching our country and our people who have been struggling with their life situation,” he said.