Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (Rep. Salceda's office)

An Albay congressman has expressed his backing to the call of most mayors in the province to amend the 1987 Constitution through a People’s Initiative (PI). 

This, as Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda reckoned that senators should be all over such a proposal. 

"The House has tried several times in the past to initiate charter change. Such attempts have languished in the Senate. Being nationally elected representatives of the people, it should be more encouraging to Senators to heed the electorate's call via People's Initiative," Salceda said in a statement Monday, Jan. 8. 

"As such, I support ongoing efforts to initiate Charter change (Cha-cha) through the direct involvement of the voters," he underscored. 

It was on Friday, Jan. 5 that League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) President and Polangui Mayor Adrian Salceda announced during a meeting of the Albay chapter that a majority have expressed support for the ongoing signature drive to petition for charter amendments. 

Reports said that 15 of the province’s 18 mayors joined the discussions. A signature campaign is part and parcel of a PI, which is one of the three modes of constitutional revision. 

While Cha-cha efforts have repeatedly failed to gain traction in the Senate, Salceda said that "The need for urgent revisions in the Constitution, particularly on the economic front, has long been the consensus in the House of Representatives."

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"The leadership of the President's coalition, including the President's own party, has also been devoted to the idea of [Cha-cha]. As such, the political mass necessary for constitutional change is there," noted the Committee on Ways and Means chairman. 

Salceda went on to explain why he thought it was "unnatural" that the Philippines has kept its Charter untouched for decades. 

"It is natural and normal for democracies to revise their Constitutions, to suit the evolving needs of the times, as well as to adjust for conditions that framers did not foresee. The United States (US) Constitution, the model constitution for republics like ours, has been amended 27 times, with the first amendments being made just months after the Constitution went into effect. 

"In contrast, we have not amended the 1987 Constitution for almost 40 years now, despite having provisions that obviously require revision. In many ways, we are unnatural for the way we hold the 1987 Constitution as if it were unerring," he said. 

As for the timing of the PI, Salceda argued that pursuing Cha-cha in 2024 makes more sense than doing it later in the Marcos administration. 

"Allow me to emphasize this: It is better to initiate Charter Change long before the 2028 Presidential Elections, so that the public can rest assured that this is no attempt to extend President Marcos's term. The time to do it is now, when there is also enough time to do it before the 2025 midterm elections," he said.