1Sambayan opposes amendments to Constitution through people’s initiative

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MANILA, Philippines — Political coalition group 1Sambayan has denounced the latest attempts to amend the 1987 Constitution through the people’s initiative.

According to its statement on Wednesday, the group said that the changes in which the people’s initiative proposes are more political than economic.

“1Sambayan strongly opposes the latest attempt to change the Constitution through people’s initiative in the guise of proposing amendments to its economic provisions,” the group said.

“Clearly, the actual provisions being propounded in this people’s initiative are political, rather than economic,” it added.

1Sambayan also added that while it is studying the proposed revisions in the economic provisions of the Constitution, it said that “this is not the best time for charter change” due to other issues.

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“We are studying the proposal of the Philippine Senate to limit the constitutional amendments purely to address the Constitution’s so-called restrictive economic provisions. But realistically this is not the best time for charter change. For indeed, there are more serious, more pressing economic and social problems in the Philippines,” it said.

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It concluded that the people’s initiative to change the Constitution is “not in accordance” with the interest and welfare of Filipinos.

“With this, 1Sambayan opposes the present move to change the Constitution that runs contrary to law and jurisprudence. The present move is not in accordance with its intention of promoting the interest and welfare of the Filipino people. It is contrary to the goals of prosperity and unity towards nation-building,” it said.