President Duterte has suggested to leaders of Congress to abolish the party list system in the country due to the alleged links of some parties to communist groups.
(Joseph Vidal / Senate PRIB / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate President Vicente Sotto III disclosed Thursday as he clarified that this, and not any attempts for term extension or a "no-election" scenario in 2022, prompted moves from lawmakers to call for a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) to make changes to the 1987 Constitution.
The proposed constitutional amendments have been discussed during a meeting between Duterte and leaders of the legislative department in early December last year, said the Senate chief.
"Sinabi niya (He said): 'I want this problem with the CPP-NPA solved'. So hinintay ko kung anong sasabihin niya about it, sabi niya (I waited for what he will say about it, and he said): 'The best way is we remove the party list system, or change it, in the Constitution'," Sotto told reporters during an online interview.
He said Duterte told them that they could revise the Constitution's economic provisions while doing this.
"In so many words, 'yon lang ang sinabi niya (those are the only things he said). Wala siyang sinasabing term limits, wala siyang sinasabing extension of terms, wala siyang sinasabing no election (He did not mention term limits, extension of terms or no election)," Sotto maintained.
In pushing to abolish the partylist system, Sotto said Duterte particularly believed that members of the House of Representatives' Makabayan bloc were "sympathizers or connected" to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing New Peoples' Army (NPA).
This claim, which was insisted by the President's security and intelligence advisers and military officials, has repeatedly been denied by the Makabayan bloc congressmen.
Careful not to misquote the President, Sotto said Duterte was merely "suggesting" when he raised his proposition to resolve issues with the party list system and communist insurgency.
"'I suggest that you look into this problem of party list system, the CPP-NPA are using it'. Take it the way you want it, but that's how he said it," he said.
Sotto said he believes that Duterte "wanted the party list system amended, resolved…or removed".
But Duterte was not keen about just amending the Party-List System Act (Republic Act No. 7941), as Sotto had suggested, to make sure that party list groups being elected to Congress would only represent marginalized sectors and not pursue efforts to overthrow the government.
"Sa akin (To me), that is a better 'Plan A'. Opinyon ko lang ito (This is just my opinion), I know the President already said that he is not too keen about it, pero sa akin…amend na lang (let's just amend) the law,"
"And then if we want to go to the economic provisions, we can amend it na parang batas (like a law) and we need not open a Constitutional Convention or Constituent Assembly," he said.
Sotto believes that majority of the senators will support amendments to the Party List Law more than revising the Constitution to remove party list groups.