CONGRESS RESUMES session this week with the Senate expected to tackle charter change, and the House of Representatives the hearing on the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes P.A. Sereno.

Senator Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan, the chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, has called on online involvement in the Senate hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 17, on the proposals to amend the 1987 constitution.

“Filipinos with different political beliefs are invited to join us in the public hearing on amending the 1987 Constitution. You may also tweet your opinions if you cannot come. We would like to hear all sides on the matter of Charter Change,” Mr. Pangilinan said in his post on Twitter on Sunday, Jan. 14.

In a radio interview on the same day, Mr. Pangilinan said the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes which he heads has already issued notices to his colleagues and invited constitutional experts and members of the academe, business sector, labor, civil society, and other concerned stakeholders to help provide inputs in going about the needed constitutional reforms.

Among the former members of the Supreme Court (SC) invited by Mr. Pangilinan’s committee are Reynato S. Puno, Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, Vicente V. Mendoza, Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Adolfo S. Azcuna, and Artemio V. Panganiban, Jr.

Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission that drafted the present Constitution, such as Christian S. Monsod, Rene V. Sarmiento, Felicitas S. Aquino, Ricardo J. Romulo, Bernardo M. Villegas, and Jose Luis Martin “Chito” C. Gascon, were also invited, as were Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea and Chief Legal Counsel Salvador San B. Panelo.

Mr. Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal Party, said the hearing will tackle three bills: Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 by Minority Leader Senator Franklin M. Drilon, Joint Resolution No. 1 by Senator Richard J. Gordon, and Senate Bill No. 128 by Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri.

Asked what the Filipino people can expect from the hearing, Mr. Pangilinan said: “We would like to make sure and clarify that we will not allow any railroading. We will not allow any unnecessary pressure and delay. We will be transparent. All voices, pro or against, will be accommodated. We will not tackle the interest of a particular political party…”

For his part, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has rejected anew calls from his allies to extend his six-year term and to cancel elections next year, while supporting moves to shift to a federal system of government.

In an interview with news Web site MindaNews, Mr. Duterte said he wants a federal government with a leadership structure similar to the French government, with both president and prime minister. He also wants the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives to be merged into a single chamber with some 50 lawmakers to enact laws faster.

If the Philippines wished to change its system of government “you want a setup that would ensure fairness and equality,” Mr. Duterte told MindaNews, while warning that federalism may still not solve the use of money, power and violence to win elections.

Mr. Duterte also said he doesn’t want to stay in power beyond 2022 and doesn’t favor calls to scrap mid-term elections for lawmakers and local officials next year as proposed by some House of Representative lawmakers.

The President, who promised the shift to federalism during the campaign to bring peace to the southern Philippines, further said he will form in a few days a consultative body to review the nation’s Constitution. He has repeatedly supported lifting the constitutional ban on foreign ownership, except on land, to further boost the economy and promote competition.

IMPEACHMENT
For its part, the House committee on justice, sitting as the impeachment committee, resumes its proceedings on lawyer Lorenzo G. Gadon’s complaint against Ms. Sereno.

Among the charges against her that the committee is expected to resolve are manipulation and delay of the resolution of Administrative Matter (A.M.) No. 17-06-02-SC in which Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II requested the transfer of the Maute cases outside of Mindanao; delayed action on the petitions requesting the release of the retirement benefits of justices and judges; manipulation in the shortlist of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC); and non-disclosure of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Among the invited resource persons are Associate Justices Lucas P. Bersamin, Samuel R. Martires, and Diosdado M. Peralta, and Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez.

In a phone interview, Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo V. Umali, who leads the impeachment committee, said: “Justice Bersamin may have something to comment on the Maute issue. As for the retirement benefits, it’s Justice Martires. Other hanging issues on the JBC manipulation will be on Justice Jardeleza. And then the SALN issue is another matter. We want to put closure on that before we proceed to the others, on the internal rules and procedures. Those are the things that we would try or expect the justices to clarify.”

Mr. Peralta is also expected to comment on the supposed JBC manipulation as he was the chair of the council at the time, according to Mr. Umali.

The justice committee would also “follow through” with the points already raised by Mr. Marquez, Mr. Umali said.

Mr. Umali added that the committee will discuss the “internal rules and procedures which he (Mr. Marquez) cannot explain because he was not in the proceedings but the justices concerned would have personal knowledge on. It’s basically validation of the many things he said.”

As for Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s declining to take part in the impeachment hearing, Mr. Umali said, “His reason is valid because in a probable cause hearing, personal knowledge is important.”

He added: “At the same time, personally, my concern is on the raffle of cases (Maute case), being part of the raffle committee, which has been answered already so I have nothing [else] to raise… but I don’t know about the other members so we will not tackle that tomorrow.”

Mr. Umali said the committee is expected to conclude the impeachment proceedings by “end of February, hopefully.”

“Hindi na kami maghi-hearing ngayon (We will no longer hold hearings now) like in the past na three hearings per week. Babalansehin namin (We will balance it) because we also have to work on con-ass (constituent assembly) eh. We have to manage our schedule vis-a-vis our schedule on the con-ass,” Mr. Umali said.

The committee will continue with its proceedings on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

OTHER MEASURES
On other matters, the House committee on local government will work this week with the committees on Muslim affairs and on peace, reconciliation, and unity on the harmonization of four House bills (HB) which provide for the Bangsamoro Basic Law and abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), one of the priority measures of the House leadership.

The committee on poverty alleviation chaired by Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) party-list Representative Raymond Democrito C. Mendoza is expected to draft a substitute bill that would institutionalize the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) begun by the Arroyo administration.

The economic affairs committee headed by Tarlac Representative Victor A. Yap is also set to hold a briefing with government agencies on the status of the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program. — reports by Arjay L. Balinbin, Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz and Bloomberg

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR