Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos says she wants to see "change" in the Philippines "before she dies".
The political science expert gave this tongue-in-cheek statement in her presentation during the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments' third public hearing on pending Charter change (Cha-cha) measures in the current 19th Congress.
"So when to amend it (Constitution)? I say let's do it now. Sabi nga sa UP (University of the Philippines), 'Kung hindi ngayon , kailan pa?' (As they say in UP, 'If not now, when?)" Carlos told the Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez-led panel.
"Gentlemen, ladies, I'm about to become 77 in a few months, and I would like to have a better Philippines. I don't like my grandchildren to struggle as I've struggled because of the so many deficits in our democracy," she said.
"So sana bago ako mamatay ay magkaroon man lang ng pagbabago no (So I hope that before I die, I get to see change)," added Carlos, who is now with the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the House of Representatives.
But before giving these remarks, Carlos did give deep insights as to where she stands on the question of whether or not to Cha-cha.
"The moment you have a basic law or a fundamental law which is no longer producing the kinds of desired results, then you do something about it," she said.
"You either revise it; that mean in toto, you look at the whole body of the fundamental law and then look at the ways they interact with each other,and they you say, we change this, we change this, we delete this, etc. But now I think the direction we're moving into would be to amend certain sections of the Constitution because we see that it is the most infirm," Carlos said.
"That is the reason why we’re doing this incrementally, if I may use that word? That is, we're paying attention first to things which, as independent variables, if we input them into the political system, then certain things will happen. And they will happen in a dramatic way," she continued.
Carlos said: "If we pay attention to the articles of the Constitution that have something to do with the restrictions that we put to the in flow of foreign direct investments, then that will generate a lot of things downstream and upstream and the kinds of deficits that we have as a liberal democracy will be addressed therefrom....I think that's the philosophy of what we're doing right now."