LAST Saturday’s Panay News reported that former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, chairman of the Consultative Committee tasked to review the 1987 Constitution, wants the plebiscite for the draft federal charter as soon as possible.
The plebiscite, if it takes place at all, is a long way off.
Puno’s draft is now with the Senate panel which meets today for its first discussion on the document. Sen. Francis Pangilinan, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, says he hopes the draft charter will be very clear as to the type of federalism the administration wants.
Puno is due to attend the meeting to-day, along with former Supreme Court associate justice Adolfo Azcuña and constitutional expert Christian Monsod.
Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS), both survey companies, have also been invited to the meeting to give their views on public sentiments towards federalism. SWS has found that only one in four Filipinos are aware of federalism. Pulse Asia’s survey showed that 66 percent of Filipinos are opposed to a shift in the form of government from unitary to federal. These results are not entirely compatible but it is clear that there is not an unbridled public clamor to implement federalism.
Senator Pangilinan said that his committee would not commit to any timetable for completing the consultations on charter change. He further said that the question as to whether there is any need to amend the Charter should be answered.
If Pangilinan’s committee finds in favor of amendments, then a draft constitution needs to be prepared. This may be the same as Puno’s or there may be modifications.
Assuming that the committee believes that there should be amendments, then, according to the existing Constitution (Article XVII Sec. 1), Congress needs to vote on the amended Constitution. NB. A Senator and a member of the House of Representatives each has one vote. Since Senate has 24 members and the House of Representatives almost 300, then the views of the House will prevail. If three quarters of Congress votes in favor of the amendments, then the plebiscite, mentioned by Puno, will take place. If a majority of the plebiscite, which consists of all registered voters, are in favor of the amended Constitution, then it will replace the 1987 Constitution. The plebiscite is to take place 60-90 days after the Commission on Elections certifies the sufficiency of the petition submitted by Congress.
We have a long way to go./PN
