Palace: Con-con is top Duterte priority

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella answers questions in his first media briefing held in Malacnang. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

PRESIDENT Duterte wants the Constitution amended but only through a constitutional convention (Con-con)  as the vehicle for Charter change (Cha-cha), Palace spokesperson Ernesto Abella said on Monday.

According to Abella, amending the Constitution would be among the priority legislative agenda of the Duterte administration.

Outgoing Senate President Franklin Drilon has filed a resolution pushing for a Con-con as the mode for amending the country’s basic law. Another vehicle is a constitutional assembly (Con-ass).

“As far as we know, President Duterte favors Con-con… not Con-ass,” Abella said in his first press briefing in Malacañang.

“It’s more consultative, right? There’s more representation. As far as I know, that has been his preference,” he added.

Asked if the President would certify as urgent a bill revisiting the country’s 29-year-old Constitution, he said: “It’s definitely part of his priorities. I don’t know exactly which priority, how high it is.”

“But it’s part of the consideration considering that we do have several issues on hand. Right? Fed (federalism) issue, stuff like that,” he added.

Mr. Duterte has been openly advocating a shift to federalism from the current presidential form of government since even before he officially announced his bid for the presidency last year.

The President, a long-time mayor of Davao City, has said that federalism would help boost the local economies of poor regions and end the country’s decades-old insurgency problem.

In his resolution, Drilon said that reviewing the Constitution was necessary “to determine if it is still attuned or responsive to the demands of present-day realities.”

Under a Con-con, proposals to amend or revise the Constitution would be made by delegates elected by the people for such purpose.

As to whether other contentious issues would be included in revising the Constitution, Abella said: “I suppose people will try to bring new issues, but the centerpiece I believe will be federalism.”

Drilon, however, said the Con-con could tackle any and every provision of the Constitution, including political provisions like term limits, since it would have “plenary” powers that allow it to “tackle and decide on anything and everything.”

“When you open the Constitution to amendments, you open up everything. You cannot say (to the Con-con) that you cannot talk about term limits. That you cannot do that. Because as I will keep on repeating, the Con-con has plenary powers. Meaning, it can tackle and decide on anything and everything,” Drilon said.

But this early, incoming Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said that President Duterte was not interested in extending his term beyond six years.

“(Duterte) will only stay six years so let us not talk whether there is a plan or whether he will extend (his term of office),” Pimentel said.