House panel to hold ‘marathon hearings’ on Cha-cha

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ committee on constitutional amendments will start holding “marathon hearings” this month to speed up the approval of eight bills and resolutions that aim to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“We will start our hearings shortly after we resume sessions on Jan. 23, so we will start on Jan. 26 and every other week thereafter,” Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who chairs the committee, told his colleagues in a previous hearing.

“Anyway, (Charter change discussions have) been passed thoroughly in the past seven Congresses. Our people should not worry at all because this will not be rushed,” Rodriguez added.

Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante supported the move, just like the rest, along with Representatives Arlene Brosas and Raoul Manuel of militant party-list groups Gabriela and Kabataan, respectively, who were also present during the hearing at the Belmonte Hall of the South Wing Annex building.

“We should hold a marathon hearing on this as early as possible. We ought to fast-track this because if we wait for another year or so, the people will not believe us anymore. We need this, the 1987 Constitution needs to be changed,” Abante said.

Rodriguez, along with Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., who authored a bill allowing the President to enjoy reelection but only for two five-year terms, said resource persons or legal experts should also be invited to the panel.

Gonzales prefers, though, that resource persons be “physically present” when hearings resume this year, unlike lawmakers who have the option to attend via the Zoom app or join their colleagues in face-to-face discussions.

Rodriguez is pushing for the convening of the constitutional convention (con-con) mode, which, he said, would not be expensive since it would “coincide” with the October 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, where only one line on the ballot will be allotted for the name of con-con delegates.

Another senior administration lawmaker-ally of President Marcos, Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte, is also calling on his House colleagues to “prioritize,” along with several measures, the move to amend the 1987 Constitution through the con-con route.

“With constitutional reforms seemingly gaining traction at the House, we are appealing to the chamber’s leadership to add to the list of priority bills for priority action the proposals for con-con delegates,” Villafuerte said.

He also wants these delegates “elected in next year’s balloting (or the October 2023 barangay and SK elections), to write proposed changes to the 1987 Constitution.”

The Bicolano lawmaker described the fundamental law of the land as “antiquated and apt” that “has long been crying out for reforms.”

He also views it as having too much “inward-looking and overly protective provisions on the economy.”

He said he personally believes that the 35-year-old Charter has been “responsible for handcuffing the Philippines from becoming an investment haven despite its pre-pandemic rise as one of Asia’s economic stars.”

Villafuerte filed House Bill 4926 in September last year whose objective is to “task con-con delegates to study possible constitutional amendments and revisions” of provisions that have been regarded for decades as overly protective.