House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved a motion for Congress to constitute itself into a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
The House panel votes on Wednesday 32-7 approving Con-Ass as a mode for amending Charter in order to introduce federalism in the country.
Only three members of the House panel abstained from voting.
In order to shift to federal system of government, there is a need to change the Constitution, and the Congress needs to decide the mode to be used, either constitutional assembly or constitutional convention.
During the committee hearing on Wednesday, Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia moved for the panel to approve her concurrent resolution calling both the House of Representatives and the Senate to convene as a Con-Ass.
Through this mode, the incumbent Congress turns itself into a body that amends the Constitution “upon a vote of 3/4 of all its members.” Amendments passed by a Con-Ass are finalized once a majority of registered voters support them through a plebiscite.
Some lawmakers objected to the constituent assembly because they want a constitutional convention (Con-Con) to amend the Constitution.
“The constituent assembly is not, in any way, representative of the will of the people and not the correct manner of amending the Constitution,” Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza said.
Dinagat Island Rep. Kaka Bag-ao is also in favor of constitutional convention, saying it is the “most democratic and most representative process in revising our Constitution.”
Aside from Atienza and Bag-ao, the other lawmakers who opposed the constituent assembly were Reps. Henedina Abad of Bataan, Aurelio Lacson of Manila Teachers partylist, Ruwel Gonzaga of Compostela Valley, Mike Velarde of Buhay partylist, and Lemuel Fortun of Agusan del Norte.
President Rodrigo Duterte had long been championing a shift to federalism and he preferred Con-Ass as the mode for the Charter Change.
Duterte said a Con-Ass would be cheaper and faster way compared to a Constitutional Convention or a People’s Initiative.
