Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is not giving up on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as far as the latter's casting aside of Charter change (Cha-cha) efforts is concerned.
This, especially after the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved via vote of 17-3-1 (yes-no-abstain) the use of a Constitutional convention (con-con) in the bid to amend the 1987 Constitution, which is said to have very strict economic provisions.
“We are hoping that the committee vote for our con-con proposal would clear the way to its swift plenary approval by the House,” said Cha-cha proponent and National Unity Party (NUP) President Villafuerte on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
“It is our hope, too, that with this panel vote, President Marcos would reconsider his position on Charter change," added the Bicolano, who is also majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).
Villafuerte was referring to an earlier statement made by the Chief Executive wherein the latter said point-blank that he didn't consider revising the existing Charter as a priority of his administration.
But instead of getting their hopes shot down, the constitutional amendments panel chaired by Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez carried on with their deliberations, culminating in a public hearing Monday, Feb. 20 wherein the committee report favoring a con-con was approved.
Initially, 16 votes were counted in favor of a con-con. But a closer review of the voting showed that 17 affirmed the particular method for Cha-cha.
There are two other methods for revising the Constitution: a constituent assembly (con-ass), and a people’s initiative (PI).
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The three House members who opposed the committee report were the three Makabayan solons, who are administration critics. They thumbed down the idea of Cha-cha altogether.
The Rodriguez panel essentially began its Cha-cha discussions in mid-December. The chairman had earlier said that the focus of the proposed amendments would be on lifting the restrictive economic provisions of the Charter.