Sen. Robinhood Padilla (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Robinhood Padilla on Thursday said that the charter change (Cha-cha) pushed by the House of Representatives will not advance in the Senate but may have a better chance through a people’s initiative.
“Wala yang chance dito. Kaya nga ang sinasabi ng House ay mag people’s initiative tayo eh. Kasi wala yan dito, hindi ‘yan sisikat dito. Tulog na tulog na nga, ang himbing ng aming committee report dyan,” Padilla said.
(It has zero chance here. That’s why the House is calling for a People’s Initiative. Because that won’t be prosper here. Our committee report on the matter is sound asleep.)
People’s initiative is one of the three ways to amend the Constitution, along with constitutional assembly and constitutional convention.
“Dadalhin natin sa taumbayan [at] sa bawat distrito at kapag nakakuha tayo 12 percent sa voting population ng Pilipinas, pwede yan isama ng Commission on Elections sa election kung ira-ratify natin,” said Padilla.
(We will take it to the people [and] in each district and when we get 12 percent of the voting population of the Philippines, the Commission on Elections can include that in the election if we ratify it.)
“I believe that if congressmen supported the People’s Initiative, because it is their district, it would be easy. That’s all we need. If we use the People’s Initiative, we won’t need Congress. It will go directly to the Comelec and if it gets 12 percent population vote, then it will be included in the 2025 ballot. If we wait for Congress, it won’t happen. It’s just pure talk in here,” said Padilla, partly in Filipino.
Padilla, chairperson of the upper chamber’s committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, previously conducted hearings on plans to tweak the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
In March, Padilla made public his committee report on the matter, but it failed to get the consensus of the chamber.
Padilla likewise said that he does not understand why the Philippines treats the Constitution as if it’s the Bible, refusing to amend it even if it would make policies in the country “better.”