Zubiri will back people’s initiative to amend Constitution – Romualdez

House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (FILE PHOTOS)

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri will support moves to amend the Constitution through a people’s initiative, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Tuesday.

Zubiri is fine with a people’s initiative — one of the three charter change methodologies available in the country, Romualdez said in an interview with Radyo 630.

“We are not limited. As you know, there are three modes. There is the con-con or call for a constitutional convention [and there is the] calling also for the convening of the constituent assembly [con-ass], wherein the House and the Senate will exercise its constituent powers in an assembly. Or the third means, via people’s initiative… where amendments can be a petition [by] the people and submitted for verification to Congress, and subsequently approved in the plebiscite,” Romualdez said.

“So it’s still not quite clear what mode the Senate wants. But right now, they are not so keen on the con-con or the con-ass, but Senate President Migs Zubiri said he will support the people’s initiative. Of course, the people’s initiative, officially, the Senate and the House are not involved in that. It’s the people’s will because the people directly exercise their mandate,” he went on, speaking in Filipino.

Exercise in futility?

Zubiri’s current stand differs from his previous pronouncements. Last Sunday, he said that any move calling for charter change might be an exercise in futility because senators would not approve of calls to amend the Constitution.

He instead suggested that the government should just implement a law that would ease the country’s restrictive economic provisions, as contained in Republic Act No. 11659, which amended the Commonwealth-era Public Service Act (PSA).

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez questioned the viability of Zubiri’s suggestion, as R.A. No. 11659’s constitutionality was already being challenged in the Supreme Court.

With regards to what would be the focus of amending the Constitution, Romualdez said they were primarily looking at economic provisions.  However, he admitted that it could also be a good time to amend portions of the Constitution to strengthen the country’s territorial integrity.

“That’s why we will exhaust all means — not only to open up the Constitution to further encourage more foreign direct investments so that more jobs [and] livelihood would be created in the country, giving better lives and livelihood to all Filipinos,  but we shall also further the ends of our interest internationally by enforcing our territorial integrity,” Romualdez said.

“So we will also consider other possible revisions at the proper time. But for the meantime, we also hope to address the issues on how the procedures… which mode [will be used],” he added.

Talks of charter change resurfaced after Romualdez and Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. confirmed that the House leadership intended to tackle charter change proposals by early 2024.

This is meant to address one of the criticisms hurled against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, which is the supposed slow turnover of investment pledges from foreign businesses secured from foreign trips.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, of the P771 billion investment pledges secured by Marcos in his February and December trips to Japan, over P169.7 billion are being funneled into the Philippine economy right now — or a mere 22 percent of the total.

Romualdez believes that amending the Constitution would open up the economy.  Last Feb. 11, he said amending the Constitution — particularly provisions that block foreign economic investments and ownerships — would be the last piece of the puzzle for economic growth.