Charter change no priority for Palace allies

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. INQUIRER file photo

Malacañang expects President Benigno Aquino III’s allies in Congress not to give priority to measures seeking to amend the Charter, particularly its economic provisions.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, a top leader of the Liberal Party and one of the President’s senior political advisers, added that Mr. Aquino continues to see no compelling reason for Congress to engage in moves to amend the Constitution.

“Both House and Senate allies recognize that (President Aquino) is the titular head of the coalition and will defer to him on such a fundamental policy shift as Charter change,” Abad said.

Asked if President Aquino’s allies in Congress are expected to stop if President Aquino doesn’t give his expressed approval for the Charter change, Abad said, “It’s a change in the basic legal framework of the land and I do not think his allies will proceed with it without conferring with the President.”

“I don’t think the President will stop them but I am sure they respect enough the President not to proceed without seeking his support for this move,” Abad added.

Tacit approval

Abad was reacting to reports that LP leaders Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Senator Franklin Drilon would meet President Aquino to get his tacit approval to the moves in Congress to change the economic provisions of the Constitution.

“I will not be surprised if such a meeting is being sought. But even in small meetings with the Cabinet, the President does not see any compelling reason for Charter change,” Abad said.

“He still believes that disincentives to (foreign direct investments) can be dealt with without resorting to Cha-cha,” he added.

In an earlier briefing, Abad said foreign investors were more concerned with leveling the playing field, having a faster bureaucracy and curbing corruption.

Abad said that Charter change was not needed to address these concerns.

Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas said there were more important issues in Malacañang other than Charter change at this time.

More pressing concerns

“There are more pressing concerns. We expect the Supreme Court to decide on (the constitutionality of the law on having officers-in-charge in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) next week,” Llamas said.

He added that there no  discussions in Malacañang in connection with Charter change.

“But as political adviser, we stand by the position of the President (that Charter change is not a priority at this time),” Llamas said.

Llamas said Charter change was like a “Pandora’s box” that when opened could pave the way for amendments other than those that are economic in nature.

Llamas said provisions such as one on federalism could come into play and such issues need to be studied thoroughly.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda earlier said that President Aquino would listen to his allies in Congress when they present to him their position on the need to change some provisions of the constitution.

But Lacierda said it would be up to the allies to convince Mr. Aquino on the need to amend the Constitution.

“If the allies are serious in their moves to amend the constitution, such a meeting with the President is inevitable,” Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang said Tuesday.

Asked if there’s a chance that Mr. Aquino will change his mind, Carandang said, “Not at the moment.”

The 1987 Constitution was crafted during the term of President Aquino’s mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino.