MANILA – The Charter Change (Cha-cha) being pushed by over 1,400 mayors in the country is not among the priorities of President Rodrigo Duterte while the country is still in the middle of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said yesterday that the passage of constitutional reforms has not crossed the mind of President Duterte with his focus on the national government’s COVID-19 response.
“Linggo-linggo nakikipag-usap ang Presidente sa taumbayan pero hindi naman po lumulutang ang Cha-cha dito,” Roque said in a virtual press conference. “Nakatutok ang buong national government sa COVID-19.”
Roque’s comment was in relation to a proposal submitted by municipal mayors to the Department of the Interior and Local Government to make constitutional reforms supposedly to empower local government units.
The Palace spokesperson said that he sympathized with the call of the mayors to institutionalize the ruling of the Supreme Court in 2018 to widen the base of local government units’ shares in the country’s taxes.
Aside from empowering the local governments, the mayors have also called for the lifting of restrictions on foreign investment in industries that are presently limited to Filipinos.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon expressed readiness to block fresh attempts to push for Cha-cha as he knew that the real motive for the revival is to postpone the 2022 national and local elections and remove politicians’ term limit.
“Ang kailangan natin ngayon ay pagkain, hindi sayaw na Cha-cha,” Drilon said in an interview with DZBB. “Ako ay may tiwala sa ating kasamahan na makikita nila na hindi para sa kapakanan ng bayan ito. Haharangin ito sa Senado.”/PN
