Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite are convinced that the real reason behind the sudden efforts to revive Charter change in Congress is to allow for term extension for politicians.
"Biglang binuhay itong usapin ng pagbabago sa ating Saligang Batas. We barely have one year and a half na naiiwan sa administrasyong ito (They suddenly revived talks to revise the Constitution. We barely have one year and a half left in this administration)," Zarate said during the Makabayan bloc's virtual press conference Thursday.
"Pero alam naman natin...mula pa noong nakaraang mga administrasyon hanggang ngayon ay ginagawa lamang dahilan itong pagbabago raw sa economic provisions pero ang nasa likod din nito ay talagang pagtutulak ng mga pulitikal na pagbabago (But we all know that – as with past administrations up to the current one – the supposed revision of economic provisions is merely being used as alibi for changes in political provisions)," Zarate said.
"Gaya ng term extension and lifting of term limits ng mga pulitiko kaya tuloy-tuloy natin itong nilalabanan ang pagbabago ng Saligang Batas (These include term extension and the lifting of term limits for politicians, that's why we will continue to oppose Cha-Cha)," the House deputy minority leader stressed.
House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairman, AKO-Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., said Wednesday that the panel would resume next week its hearings on the proposal to revise the 1987 Constitution.
Garbin particularly mentioned Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 which seeks to amend certain economic provisions of the existing Charter. The measure was filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco in July 2019 or at the beginning of the current 18th Congress.
"Of course they will dismiss the term extension issue in this push to amend the Constitution, but how could they dispel this concern when they are suddenly rushing this effort as President Duterte's term is nearing its end, and doing it too in the middle of a pandemic?" Gaite said in a statement also on Thursday.
According to him, it was already claimed by majority solons before that there was not enough time in the 18th Congress to thoroughly discuss Cha-cha which is perennially a contentious topic.
But now his House colleagues are seemingly "rushing" Cha-cha before the end of Duterte's six-year term in June 2022.
"They can't really say that there will be no term extension unless we actually see that there is really nothing of that sort in any of their proposed amendments," Gaite said.
At any rate, even the advertised economic Cha-Cha is acceptable to the militant solon.
"Hindi tayo papayag na talagang burahin na nila nang tuluyan ang mga probisyong pumuprotekta sa kalupaan, kagubatan, karagatan, at mga likas na yaman ng ating bansa upang higit pang buksan ang ating bansa sa pandarambong ng malalaking korporasyong dayuhan (We won't allow the lifting of provisions that protect our lands, forests, seas, and natural resources; and in effect further open our country to abuse from huge foreign corporations)," he said.