MANILA, Philippines — House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe dared those who claim that amending the 1987 Constitution’s end goal is to install prime ministers (PM) to show proof, stressing again that Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 focuses on the economy.
In a press briefing on Wednesday after a House party leaders’ caucus and an all-members’ assembly, ranking lawmakers were asked about President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent claims that moves to amend the Constitution will ultimately lead to Marcos’ relatives becoming PMs
Duterte said in a briefing in Davao City on Tuesday that the administration’s plan is to have Marcos’ cousin Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and presidential son Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos become PMs.
But Dalipe maintained that what the House was asking, in RBH No. 6, was for economic-related amendments.
“I’m challenging those who are accusing the House of Representatives of trying to put in these, pushing for these constitutional amendments or changes in our constitution to review, show the documents that state that na we are pushing for those type of political changes,” he said.
“You present, we challenge them to go and check the records of the Senate of what we transmitted. Stop with all the nonsense stories and foolishness,” he added.
Dalipe said these are public records which people can access, to dispel fears that political reforms would be included.
“With regard to the suspicion that we are trying to do this to have somebody become a prime minister or something, records will prove, look at what the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate? These are not secret documents, those are public records — what did the House transmit?” the House official noted.
“Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 authored by 302 congressmen, constitutional convention, to amend the economic provisions. So nothing there is about political (reforms). So I do not know where this came from, when we the House of Representatives clearly transmitted something for economic provisions,” he added.
In a briefing posted by SMNI’s Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa Facebook page, Duterte reiterated the statements he made during Sunday’s rally at Davao, that most presidents upon arrival at Malacañang think of ways to extend their term.
He also warned Marcos anew that he is going the same route as his father, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who stayed in Malacañang beyond his term in office.
However, this time, Duterte said it will be done with the help of relatives.
“Your father and ikaw, walang, hindi talaga nagkakaiba, at sumusunod ka talaga, and I said, that if you continue, if you do not stop this nonsense, you will go out of Malacañang the way exactly when it happened during your father’s time, maniwala ka sa akin,” Duterte said.
(You and your father, you are not different, and you are really following in his footsteps. I said, that if you continue, if you do not stop this nonsense, you will go out of Malacañang exactly how it happened during your father’s time, believe me.)
“So ang Speaker si Romualdez, he becomes the prime minister, ikaw gawain ka lang ceremonial president. Tapos after a few years kung hinog na ‘yang anak mo, gusto mo nang ipasok na naman, ‘yan ang nagka-problema Ma’am, ‘wag ninyong gawain ‘yan, Ferdinand Marcos, ‘wag mong gawain ‘yan (dahil) pumalpak kayo dahil d’yan,” he added.
(So the Speaker is Romualdez, he becomes the prime minister, you (Marcos) will be a ceremonial president. Then after a few years if your son is ripe, you will install him, that’s where we have a problem Ma’am, do not do that Ferdinand Marcos, don’t do that because that is where you failed,” he added.
But Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, House committee on legislative franchises chair, maintained that neither the RBH No. 6 or the controversial People’s Initiative (PI) can actually initiate such drastic changes — like making the republican government into federal, or making Congress unicameral from bicameral.
“That the PI will lead for some people to become prime minister, and it will be a perpetuation of power: there is no constitutional or legal basis. Constitutional: People’s Initiative cannot change the form of government or the system of government, we are unitary, we cannot change it to federal through [PI] because revision na ‘yan eh,” Rodriguez noted.
“We cannot also change a bicameral form of government […] into a unicameral form because the PI will only be for amendments. Now we therefore can see that there is no basis in that and also on the law on PI, clearly, amendments lang,” he added
This is not the first time that lawmakers disputed remarks from Duterte regarding the possibility of extending term limits. Last Monday, Dalipe also explained that RBH No. 6 does not discuss any political reform.
A quick read of the House-version RBH No. 6 shows that the scope of the proposed amendments would center on economic provisions only.
READ: Cha-cha focused on economic reforms, not term extension, says solon
“Extensive studies show that particular economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution need to be revisited and recrafted so that the Philippines may become globally competitive and attuned with the changing times,” RBH No. 6 stated.
Also, no less than President Marcos clarified that he does not want political reforms for the 1987 Constitution, saying in a 24 Oras interview that he only wants to remove economic restrictions and let more foreign direct investments come in.