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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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January 11, 2018
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Senators: Separate voting on constitution changes
MANILA – Holding a plebiscite on charter change during the elections in May 2019 would be “practical,” according to Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
Pimentel assured that the midterm elections will push through.
“Siyempre tuloy po ang eleksyon,” he stressed. “We are still under the 1987 Constitution. Hangga’t hindi magbago iyan, lahat ng scheduled elections in the 1987 Constitution must be held.”
A no-election scenario, he said, may happen only if the government succeeds in pushing for charter change.
“Iyon sana ang timeline ko, sa Mayo … plebiscite na rin po siya. Para practical na decision kasi meron nang halalan. Isabay na rin iyong plebiscite na question,” said Pimentel.
“It’s a practical decision because it costs P7 billion to P10 billion per election nationwide,” he stressed.
According to the Senate leader, there will be a “transitory period” if the proposed shift to federalism gets approved, and an election must still be held before this.
“We have to transition to the federal. That will be governed by the transitory provisions na hindi natin pwede pag-usapan ngayon kasi wala rin sa harap natin,” Pimentel said.
“Hindi pwedeng walang election because ang mamumuno even sa transitory provisions ay dapat hinalal din ng taumbayan,” he added.
Last week PDP-Laban, where Pimentel sits as president, announced they would push Congress to convene in a constituent assembly (Con-Ass) as a cheaper and practical approach in revising the 1987 Constitution.
A separate election of delegates to form a constitutional convention (Con-Con) is expensive as it could cost the government P7 billion, they said.
Under Con-Ass, Congress members may turn themselves into a body that would amend the Constitution, while in a Con-Con, a body separate from Congress will be either elected or appointed to change the charter. President Rodrigo Duterte preferred the latter.
‘VOTE SEPARATELY’
For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian urged his fellow lawmakers that they come up with a “realistic and workable timetable” to push for charter change.
Gatchalian said Congress leaders might start laying the groundwork for discussions when session resumes on Jan. 15.
“The idea of federalism being floated over the news is still broad. We need to be clear with the details and not rush the process,” he said.
Gatchalian also urged the houses to separately start their respective deliberations on the proposed amendments.
“We should observe checks and balances as coequal chambers of Congress,” he said. “Therefore, separate voting on the draft Constitution should no longer be put into question.”
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also believed senators and representatives should “vote separately” on proposed constitutional amendments.
Alvarez had said he preferred a joint voting.
“If we vote jointly we become irrelevant,” Drilon said. “I cannot imagine a situation where the Senate would be an irrelevant institution.”
He added: “That is an unfortunate interpretation because if we change the name of a high school, in any place in this country, the Senate can veto by not acting on the proposal from the House.
“If the Senate’s vote is needed to change the name of a high school, I cannot imagine that the framers of the Constitution contemplated of the situation where the Senate’s vote is just equivalent to that of 290 or so congressmen in a joint voting. No senator will agree to this kind of interpretation.”
Voting separately is the “more logical, the more rational, the more legal, the more constitutional position,” said Drilon.
Moreover, minority senators were also open for appeals in case Congress votes to amend the Constitution. “Ultimately,” Drilon said, “it will have to be decided by the Supreme Court.”/PN
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