‘Consa by August’

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. is optimistic that Congress will be convened as a constituent assembly in August despite the latest survey findings of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) that 70 percent of Filipinos prefer a constitutional convention to amend the Charter.

"We are conducting a new survey, which will come out in the next 10 days. We will be guided by that," De Venecia told reporters at yesterday’s breakfast forum at the Rembrandt Hotel.

De Venecia, the main proponent of Charter change through a constituent assembly, hopes that the country’s shift from presidential to parliamentary system of government pushes through.

"I am strongly hopeful that parliamentary change will push through," De Venecia asserted, saying the shift would mean reduction of fraud and corruption associated with the election since it would be held once every five years.

"Unlike today (when) we are holding elections every two years, including the barangay elections," he added.

De Venecia said that if the constituent assembly is convened in early August, the proposed amendments to the Constitution would be completed by Aug. 30 or at the latest Sept. 7.

"Then three months after, it can be presented to the people for approval or rejection," he said.

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution favoring a constituent assembly over constitutional convention as the way to amend the Constitution. The Senate, however, is split on the issue with 12 senators, led by Senate President Franklin Drilon, favoring a constitutional convention.

The Senate will have to tackle the issue when Congress resumes session on July 28.

De Venecia disclosed that the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, chaired by Sen. Edgardo Angara, would meet on July 14 and at least five of its members — Senators Aquilino Pimentel, Robert Jaworski, Robert Barbers, John Osmeña and Angara himself — were likely to take the side of a constituent assembly.

He said Angara gave assurances that there would be enough votes for the measure to be approved.

The League of Cities and League of Municipalities said they will issue a "blacklist" of senators who oppose Charter change through a constituent assembly.

"This is an issue too important to be killed by 13 senators," De Venecia said during the Consultative Assembly for Charter Change of the Barangays at Club Filipino.

Asked to comment on Drilon’s statement that there would never be a constituent assembly, the Speaker retorted: "He is entitled to his own opinion. From my standpoint, we can already claim major victory. When we started, so many were against us, now so many are in favor."

De Venecia said that almost all progressive countries in Asia, like Singapore and Malaysia, and Europe have unicameral parliamentary forms of government.

He said even new countries in Eastern Europe have chosen the unicameral over the bicameral system since the latter has too many gridlocks that delay the delivery of basic services to the people.

"The secret is not the change of leaders but a change in system," he said.

For his part, Western Samar Rep. Antonio Nachura, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said a constitutional convention would cost P8 billion and is divisive. Moreover, it will expose the Constitution to too many revisions than intended.

The concurrent House and Senate resolutions only call for a shift to a unicameral parliamentary system with a fixed transition to a federal system.