Edcel bringing Con-ass to high court

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman NQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

ALBAY Rep. Edcel Lagman on Sunday said he would bring to the Supreme Court the question of whether or not the House of Representatives and the Senate could vote separately should Congress be convened as a constituent assembly (Con-ass) to amend the  Constitution.

Lagman said the Senate’s insistence on separate voting was yet another reason to junk the idea of a Con-ass in favor of a regular constitutional convention (Con-con).

The Constitution does not make a distinction between senators and representatives when they are convened as a constituent assembly, he said.

Lagman earlier assailed the decision of the Duterte administration to convene a Con-ass instead of a constitutional convention, saying it was a way to railroad Charter change.

He said that with a “coopted minority,” the Duterte administration could hasten the process to change the unitary-presidential form of government to a federal-parliamentary one, among other changes.

 Sudden change of rules

Lagman, a Liberal Party member who did not join the majority coalition, had accused Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch Duterte ally, of suddenly changing the rules to favor his choice of minority or opposition leader—another issue that would likely reach the high court.

The representative from Albay warned against taking shortcuts to Charter change because the Constitution is the fundamental law of the land.

 Volume revision

A “volume revision” of the Constitution, which the President apparently wants, could be better done by a Con-con composed of elected regional representatives, Lagman said.

He said elected Con-con delegates could focus solely on the proposed amendments to the Constitution, while a Congress would still have to do its job as the legislative branch of government.

 Common sense

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas countered that convening a Con-ass was “simply practical and plain common sense” and not an “inordinate fast-tracking” as Lagman has claimed.

“A constitutional assembly would cost no more than P2 billion, while a Con-con from P6 to P7 billion, and that figure is only for the election of delegates,” Fariñas said.

Malacañang meanwhile on Sunday distanced itself from allegations that President Duterte’s allies in the House were trying to muscle their way to a Con-ass to amend the Constitution.

“If members of Congress have opposing views, they are entitled to their own opinion,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told government-owned dzRB radio. With a report from Marlon Ramos