Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. (Facebook)

House Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales is looking at a People's Initiative (PI) as the mode that could actually launch Charter change (Cha-cha) efforts off the ground. 

Gonzales, in a chance interview during the House reporters' Christmas party on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 13, noted how other methods have failed to prosper in the past. 

"Alam mo kasi ang mga senador, ilang Con-Ass (Constituent Assembly) na yung ipinasa natin sa kanila, economic provision, still wala pa ring movement. Yung previous Congresses, marami din na-approved dito kasi Resolution of Both Houses (RBH). So, wala pa ring galaw. So, hanap tayo ng isang mode, baka itong people’s initiative, the PI," he said. 

(You know, these senators, we've sent them many Con-Ass proposals before, focusing on the economic provisions of the Constitution, but still no movement. Many Resolutions of Both Houses (RBH) have been approved in previous Congresses. But still no movement. So, let's look for another mode, maybe this People’s Initiative, the PI.) 

The PI, Con-Ass, and the Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) comprise the three ways that the 1987 Constitution can be amended. 

Of the three, the PI--as the term implies--emanates from the people as opposed to the legislators from either the House of Representatives or the Senate. 

"Hindi naman sa amin mangagaling yan (PI), sa taong bayan yan. Kung gusto nilang amyendahan [yung Constitution], mag-signature campaign yung mga tao. 

(The PI won't come from us, but from the people. If they want to amend the Constitution, the people must hold a signature campaign.) 

"At they will [be] verified by the Comelec. And there is a timeline siguro in that," Gonzales said. 

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Article XVII, Section 2 of the Constitution says that "Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve (12) per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three (3) per centum of the registered votes therein." 

"The Congress shall provide for the implementation of the exercise of this right," it added. 

Gonzales said that based on survey, 57 percent of Filipinos want to amend the existing Charter. 

Asked for more details about the survey, the Pampanga lawmaker said, "That is a multi-survey, mayroong external at mayroon kaming internal. So same figure ang lumalabas (we have both external and internal surveys. The same figure came out each time)." 

He further claimed that his fellow House leader are all for Cha-cha. "The sense of the House in the party leaders, talagang they’re all amenable for the amendment of the 1987 Constitution." 

Last March, the House chose the Con-con method method for Cha-cha when it approved on third and final reading House Bill (HB) No.7352. 

The full title of HB No. 7352. "An Act implementing Resolution of Both Houses No.6 of the Congress of the Philippines calling for a Constitutional Convention (Con-con) to propose amendments to, or revision of, the 1987 Constitution, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes".   

It was immediately transmitted to the Senate, but nothing has come out of it. --with reports from Dexter Barro II