Marcos firm on Charter change, separate Senate and House

FILE PHOTO: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is standing firm on his position that economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution must be amended and that the Senate and House of Representatives must be kept separate in the changed version of the country’s principal Charter. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stood firm on his position that economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution must be amended.

He also said that the Senate and House of Representatives must be kept separate in the changed version of the country’s principal Charter.

In an interview in Vietnam for a state visit on Tuesday, Marcos said he has been in continuous talks with legal experts and Congress leaders despite lawmakers’ ongoing tussle over the controversial PI, which launched a signature campaign to gather signatures for a petition to amend the 1987 Constitution.

READ: Marcos unsure if people’s initiative to amend Charter still viable

“I met with our legal luminaries and tried to find a way dahil ‘yan naman talaga ang aabutin nila, are the economic provisions that I have been talking about for this, many, many years already,” he said in the interview which was released to Philippine media only on Wednesday.

(I met with our legal luminaries and tried to find a way because that’s really what they’re going to take, are the economic provisions that I have been talking about for this, many, many years already.)

“The best analysis and interpretation that we have is that the legislature is of a bicameral nature, and therefore, that implies that they will vote separately. So, how that will be done now is what we are trying to figure out, how will it be done, so that both Houses’ role in this bicameral system is preserved and that is what we are working on right now,” Marcos added.

The PI for Charter change considers a joint voting of the Senate and House of Representatives. The 24-member Senate, however, was cool to the idea, pointing out that they may easily be eclipsed by the House, which has more than 300 lawmakers.

In the same interview, Marcos admitted that the PI to amend the 1987 Constitution has been politicized.

“Napupunta sa ibang usapan, eh, at nagagamit na pangpulitika itong isyu na ito (It goes to another conversation, and this issue is being ,used politically). So, I’ve asked the leaders of both Houses and again, some of the best constitutional minds that we have in the Philippines to come up with a simpler solution that does not cause so much controversy,” he said.

READ: Marcos admits people’s initiative for Charter change politicized

The President’s relatives in Congress have even clashed over the PI with his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, and cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, figuring in a heated verbal exchange on the issue.

During a senate hearing on PI, Imee Marcos presented a video of Romualdez saying: “wala kayong pakialam sa PI (you have no concern on PI).”

While not addressing anyone specifically, Senator Marcos said there was no cure for such shamelessness.

In reply, Romualdez said in a statement that there was no need to be rude.