Senator Richard Gordon. RICHARD A. REYES/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
He may have been the youngest delegate during the 1971 Constitutional Convention (Con-con), but that doesn’t mean Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon wants the Philippine Constitution amended through Con-con.
Gordon, in an interview over INQ&A on Tuesday, said he has always been for Constituent Assembly (Con-ass).
“Sabi ko magko-Con-con tayo, magbabayad tayo ng eleksyon na naman. Mga bata-bata na naman,” he said, explaining that while they were supposed to be a non-partisan convention at that time, some delegates reportedly received bribes.
Con-con is one of the three methods available to amend the constitution. In 1971, delegates for the Con-con, representing legislative districts, were elected by the public. Con-ass, on the other hand, involves the two chambers of Congress, which can vote separately or as a single both. The third method is the People’s Initiative, which requires a petition directly proposed by at least 12 percent of registered voters.
Gordon recalled that he was 20 years old and was a student leader at the University of the Philippines when he became a delegate for Con-con. He said he, together with fellow student leader Edgar Jopson, wanted a non-partisan convention, but that was not the case.
“Papasukin’ yan at papasukin (ng partisan). Don’t think we are living in a world where people are good. There are good, there are bad,” he said. “And it becomes good only when the good strives to change it. If you say Con-con, it is not a magic formula. Papasukin ‘yan.”
Gordon said he would see envelopes being passed to some delegates in a bid to have them vote a certain way.
“Whatever that was. May mga envelope na bibigay para bumoto. That is part of the system,” he said.
He recalled the case of Eduardo Quintero, a retired ambassador who claimed that he was receiving bribe money as a member of the convention. Gordon said Quintero’s house was raided and the old man was deprived of retirement benefits.
Gordon said that the 1971 delegates were also supposed to receive P100 in daily salary but were given P3,000 instead, which he tried to contest at the Supreme Court.
He said a Con-con will definitely be infiltrated by partisan groups and those seeking to bribe delegates.
Asked if that wasn’t also the case with Con-ass, Gordon said he believes a Con-ass will allow the people to understand the charter revisions better.
In an earlier statement, Gordon said Con-ass is less expensive and “most expeditious” compared to the other two modes.
He said the public should be allowed to vote on each provision of the amended constitution.
While earlier reports said President Rodrigo Duterte, who wants a shift to a federal form of government, preferred the consultative process of Con-con, he later changed his mind, citing the ease in convening a Con-ass. He also pointed out that legislators have been elected several times by voters, meaning they are trusted by the people.
READ: Duterte pushes Con-ass
Gordon was interviewed over INQ&A, INQUIRER.net’s weekly political talk show broadcast live every Tuesday at 8 to 9 p.m. via Radyo Inquirer 990AM, INQ 990 Television (Digital Terrestrial Television) and INQUIRER.net’s Facebook and Youtube accounts. JE