Charter change was “nearly impossible”, but charter amendments can be discussed, according to Senate President Sotto.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday said that charter change (Cha-cha) was “nearly impossible”, but introducing one or two amendments can be discussed.
Sotto made the remark as talks on amending the 1987 Constitution re-surfaced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“So mahirap siguro kung Charter change ang pag-uusapan. Ngayon, kung to amend a certain provision or provisions, mapapag-usapan ‘yan,” Sotto told reporters in an interview.
Last December 2020, two administration senators — Senator Francis Tolentino and Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa — filed a resolution asking both houses of Congress to convene as a constituent assembly for the purpose of amending the 33-year-old 1987 Constitution.
The said amendments would be limited to the provisions on “democratic representation” and the “economic provisions” of the 1987 Constitution, the resolution read.
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Sotto then clarified that charter change wasn’t synonymous to charter amendments. Also, he offered an alternative way in order to achieve the amendments proposed by President Duterte without touching the Constitution.
“I know the President already said that he is not too keen about it, pero sa akin, Plan A [is] amend na lang the [party-list] law, and if they want to go on with the economic provisions, we can amend it na parang batas and need not open a constituent assembly,” Sotto said.
Meanwhile, hearings on constitutional amendments would continue in the House of Representatives next week.
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