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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Monday, May 22, 2017
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MANILA – Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III was pushing for wide-ranging changes under the proposed new constitution.
A “self-executing” anti-dynasty provision, for instance, will ensure a “level playing field,” eliminating the “monopoly of political power,” said the president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan.
The ruling party was leading a nationwide campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution to shift from unitary to a federal form of government.
For the shift to federalism to succeed, Pimentel proposed that the government subsidize accredited political parties and penalize political butterflies. “But we will retain the concept of term limits,” he said.
The current party-list system should also be improved and “transformed into a system of proportional representation for the ruling party to muster a majority and ensure a stable parliament,” said Pimentel.
A “strong presence” of ombudsmen and auditors in the regions will curb corruption, while enhanced judicial independence will also make justice accessible to all, Pimentel said.
“The new Constitution should prohibit judicial legislation and a Constitutional Court would be established to settle constitutional issues and disputes.
“We intend to have at least one Court of Appeals division per region and to put time limit to cases and disputes,” the senator said as he lamented the slow delivery of justice due to case backlogs.
Moreover, the eligibility criteria for presidential hopefuls will be “raised,” Pimentel said.
Foreign ownership in nationalized economic activities will be delegated to the federal legislature, but ownership of private lands or properties shall be for Filipinos only, he said./PN
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