Bayan to stage protest at House vs moves to amend Constitution

Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes (File photo by NOY MORCOSO / INQUIRER.net)

Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) will stage a protest action on Monday in front of the House of Representatives in Batasan Hills, Quezon City against moves to amend the Constitution.

“We oppose plans for term extension, lifting of term limits, and imposing constitutional authoritarianism on the people through charter change,” Renato Reyes, Bayan secretary-general , said in a statement on Sunday.

“We likewise oppose moves to remove provisions protecting the domestic economy,” he added.

Reyes said the proposed charter change through a constituent assembly (con-ass) being floated by some leaders of the Congress in the past weeks were “patently self-serving” and would have “no benefit for the people.”

“The main beneficiaries are the incumbent politicians aligned with the Duterte administration,” he said.

The proposed change could possibly pave the way for a shift to a federal form of government, which the the ruling political party, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), has been advocating.

“Federalism is just being used as a smokescreen for a more sinister plot to keep the ruling clique in power. The people must oppose these maneuvers,” Reyes said .

The Monday protest kicks off at 1:30 p.m. in front of the House. /atm