Charter review body meets, sets August as deadline

By Camille A. Aguinaldo

THE 19-MEMBER consultative body created by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to review the 1987 Constitution held its preparatory meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Thursday, Feb. 8.

The Constitutional Commission, led by former chief justice Reynato S. Puno, is tasked to study, conduct consultations and review provisions of the Constitution.

In his speech, Mr. Puno told committee members that their job “will terrorize the faint in heart,” but expressed confidence that they would deliver on their work.

“Our given task will terrorize the faint in heart. But without engaging in the exercise of self-levitation, I entertain no iota of doubt that we will live up to the expectations of our President,” he said.

He also advised his colleagues in the commission thus: “We should be ready to receive catcalls instead of cheers, especially from the few who rule and who think they have an imprescriptible patent to govern our people. It will demand patience and understanding among ourselves.”

He said Thursday’s meeting was “a getting to know you gathering.”

Commission member and University of Santo Tomas political-science professor Edmund S. Tayao told BusinessWorld, when sought for comment, that they also discussed the consultative body’s logistics and timetable for the work ahead.

“The first order of the day was to get to know each other. While many of the members of the committee already know each other from various engagements before, it’s also important to know them again and feel the atmosphere of the committee,” he said.

“The meeting was organizational. We talked about arrangements for the technical personnel, essentially how the whole committee will operate,” he added.

Mr. Tayao said they will be sworn in next week and will start their work on Feb. 20 at the Philippine International Convention Center.

He added the committee will come up with its report by August at the latest. He also said members were targeting to finish their report before that deadline, hopefully around the time of Mr. Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

“Whether or not the output will be in time for the SONA,…we have yet to really determine that but it’s the ideal time line,” Mr. Tayao said.

The consultative committee, formed by virtue of Executive Order No. 10 in 2016, is assigned to review provisions of the 1987 Constitution, especially on the government structure and powers, local governance as well as economic policies.

The body will submit its report, recommendations and proposals to the President.

Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea or his designated representative shall act as observer in the committee’s deliberations.

The consultative body is given a six-month period to finish its work and will cease to exist upon the President’s transmittal of its recommendations and proposals to Congress.

Mr. Duterte has been pushing for amendments to the Constitution in order to shift the government structure into a federal form. Some business groups, on the other hand, have advocated limiting Charter change to the Constitution’s economic provisions.

Leaders of Congress have set aside a row between the two chambers over how the legislature should vote on constitutional amendments, but without resolving yet that matter.