President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. | PHOTO: Official facebook page of Bongbong Marcos
Updated on January 15, 2024 at 12:33 p.m.
MANILA, Philippines — Agreeing that Charter change (Cha-cha) through people’s initiative was “too divisive,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has instead directed the Senate to take the lead in reviewing the economic provisions of the Constitution.
Marcos gave this order after meeting with congressional leaders last January 11, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri disclosed on Monday.
“The President agreed with us that the proposal was too divisive, and asked the Senate to instead take the lead in reviewing the economic provisions of the Constitution,” Zubiri said in a press conference at the Senate.
“In this way, we can preserve our bicameral nature of legislation,” the Senate leader added.
READ: Marcos seeks inquiry on effectiveness of People’s Initiative for Cha-cha
The meeting, he said, was attended by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda and the leadership of the House of Representatives.
While recognizing the people’s right to call for Constitutional change, Zubiri stressed the need to “guard against any attempt to revise the Constitution by exploiting our democratic process under the guise of a people’s initiative.”
“The People’s initiative on Article XVII, Sec. 1(1) of the Constitution stoked fears of the unknown among our citizens,” he also said.
So any move to amend the 1987 Constitution, he said, must not only identify the specific provisions that need to be changed but should also cite the impact, effect, and true intention of the proposed changes.
“The proposal subject of the people’s initiative could led to a constitutional crisis, destabilizing our bicameralism and upsetting the system of checks and balances,” the Senate chief also warned.
Even before the President’s directive, Zubiri noted that Congress already approved the amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA), which aims to attract more foreign investments to the county.
And the Senate is standing firm behind the law despite questions raised against it before the Supreme Court, he said.
Nevertheless, the Senate vowed to work with the House “to remove all doubts on the constitutionality of the law by ensuring that the liberalized policies contained in the PSA can be implemented and relied on by investors as an enduring policy.”
“It is only in this respect that the Senate can agree to modify the Constitution,” Zubiri stressed.