Rodriguez brothers’ bill seeks changes to Constitution’s political provisions

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Two lawmakers not only seek to change the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution but also want to pursue amendment to its political provisions through Charter change via constitutional convention (concon).

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Abante Mindanao Representative Maximo Rodriguez seek more changes to the Constitution in House Bill 1343 which they filed Thursday morning.

In the bill, the legislators maintained that Charter change had to be pursued through concon as it is “the most democratic and most transparent” method.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has earlier filed a resolution seeking to amend the Constitution through constituent assembly (con-ass), seeking amendments on its economic provisions.

But the Rodriguez siblings said that concon is the way to go as “businessmen and the people have full trust and confidence in President Benigno S. Aquino III.”

“The people can see the President as someone who will pursue Charter change without any political agenda,” they said.

And it was due to the “expanding global demands and the present economic and political realities” that they sought amendments to the following amendments:

Economic amendments:

a) The lifting of all nationality requirements in the exploration and utilization of all natural resources, all areas of investments, all public utilities , all educational institutions, all fields of mass media and advertising;

b) The provisions on ownership of land which shall remain exclusively to Filipinos until the distribution of farm lots to qualified farmers/beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program is completed.

Political amendments:

a) Shift from unitary system of government to a federal system;

b) Shift from presidential to a parliamentary form of government;

c) Shift from bicameral to a unicameral legislature;

d) Restoration of a Board of Election Inspectors with a teacher as Chairman and two members from both the majority and minority parties;

e) Appointment of magistrates to the judiciary by the Judicial and Bar Council subject to confirmation by the parliament’s commission on appointments;

f) Amending the term of members of parliament and local officials to four years without term limits.

While Belmonte was for Charter change, he told INQUIRER.net that he opposes the proposal to do it via concon.

“I am against concon. I am only for what I proposed. Remember what l want is not to open the door, but to have a key–congressional action with the President’s approval–in case of need,” he said.

Belmonte, who seeks to return as Speaker in the 16th Congress, recently filed House Joint Resolution No. 1 which sought to amend the Constitution through con-ass.

He said that he sought to try and speak with the President on considering this instead.

The Makabayan bloc meanwhile reiterated that they would block any attempt for Charter change in the 16th Congress.

ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio said that they were against any mode of Charter change.

He said that changing the Constitution would open the possibility to open not only its economic provisions but also its political provisions to amendments, including term limits.