Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said he is open to proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution which remain unchanged for 35 years, but any revisions must be made in the best interest of Filipinos.
Go also said he believes that “now is the best time” to push for amendments to the Constitution as the government transitions into a fresh term for President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Alam n’yo, 35 years na po na hindi nagagalaw ang Constitution natin. Marahil po, alam n’yo mayroong mga nasa loob po ng Constitution na dapat pong pag-aralan po muli... halos iba diyan kailangan na talagang baguhin (Our Constitution remain unchanged. There are many provisions in our Constitution that should be reviewed...some need to be changed),” said Go in a recent interview in Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat.
“Kung kailangan nating galawin at magkakaroon tayo ng charter change, (maganda kung) ngayon po. Huwag ‘yung patapos na ‘yung termino (If we need to amend and pursue Charter change, it’s best if we do it now. Not when an administration is about to end its term),” he said.
“Ngayon na, para at least presko pa ‘yung termino ng mga elected officials. (Simulan) na po na tingnan nang mabuti (Let’s start now, so that the terms of the elected officials are still fresh. Let’s start this initiative),” he added.
Earlier, President Duterte had urged the next administration to begin the process of possibly amending the Constitution. Duterte’s specific proposal is to fix the party-list system, saying that the current set up is being abused by leftist organizations.
Go said he agrees with the President’s call and reiterated that any suggested amendment must benefit the Filipino people and not the politicians. The senator said he will oppose reforms that are only aimed at benefiting a chosen few.
“Hindi po ako papayag na ang makikinabang lang po ang pulitiko. Ang makikinabang po dapat yung Pilipino at interes po ng Pilipino ang dapat unahin natin parati (I will oppose any moves where only politicians will benefit. Those who should benefit are the Filipinos, and their interests should be prioritized),” he stressed.
The lawmaker noted Duterte himself had been advocating for a shift to a federal-parliamentary system to give regions greater autonomy and attain equitable economic development across the country.
He also said the President advocated for a federal government as a way to resolve the country’s economic and political imbalances.
Go said the incoming administration should then study and review these proposals to amend the Constitution while taking into consideration the efforts started by the Duterte administration.
“Pag-aralan po natin nang mabuti. Kaya sabi ko nga, in fact noong kakaupo ni Pangulong Duterte, nagtawag kaagad siya ng pagpupulong ng (consultative) committee headed by Chief Justice Puno, na pag-aralan po ang ating Konstitusyon (Let’s study this carefully. As I recall, when President Duterte started his term, he immediately ordered the creation of a consultative committee headed by Chief Justice Reynato Puno, to study our Constitution),” he stressed.