President Marcos does not want a Charter change (Cha-cha) or constitutional change, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Tuesday, Oct. 7, after the idea was floated in the House of Representatives.

“Ang Pangulo po ay hindi po sa ngayon naaayon or sumasang-ayon para sa isang constitutional change (The President does not approve of constitutional change),” the Palace official stressed.

“Marami pong paraan para po maresolba ang ganitong klaseng korapsyon (There are many ways to resolve this kind of corruption),” she said in response to House Minority Leader Rep. Marcelino Libanan’s proposal to push for constitutional change instead of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s suggestion to hold a snap election.

Castro pointed out that there are laws that can be fully implemented to prevent corruption like what happened at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its flood control projects.

“Marami na pong batas na maaaring gamitin kung susunod lamang ang mga public officials natin hindi po iyong katulad noong nangyari na may batas pero isinantabi o sinet [set] aside (There are already a lot of laws that we can use if only public officials will follow them unlike what happened before that the law was set aside),” the official explained.

She reminded how Marcos was dismayed that local government units (LGUs) were stripped off their powers to inspect infrastructure projects in their localities by the previous administration.

“So, dapat na lamang po ito ay enforced, i-implement, sundin ng ating mga public servants at public officials (So, these should be enforced, implemented, and followed by our public servants and public officials),” Castro said.

“Hindi po siguro nararapat sa ngayon ang constitutional change, ang kailangan ay change of attitude ng mga officers at change of heart, maging maka-Pilipino, maging makabayan (This is not the right time for a constitutional change, what we need is a change of attitude in our officers and a change of heart, be more Filipino, be patriotic),” she added.

Earlier, the chief executive said he was “shocked” to learn that a long-standing mechanism requiring LGUs to inspect and approve completed national government projects was removed by the Duterte administration.

Calls for a snap election and constitutional change came amid a political maelstrom brought by the multi-billion-peso flood control corruption that involved high-ranking government and DPWH officials.