Pimentel: Push for charter change not about extending Duterte’s term

Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ L. Pimentel III on Friday, March 16, allayed concerns by some groups in Baguio City over the purported intentions of Congress to fast-track charter change in order to extend the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“Our party (referring to PDP-Laban) has been advocating for federalism since 1982… This is not for the President.. Don’t be afraid of the ghost that isn’t really there,” he said during the Senate hearing on charter change at the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City.

The Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, chaired by Senator Francis N. Pangilinan, is on the fourth leg of regional consultative hearing on charter change in Baguio City. Among the other senators present during Friday’s Senate hearing are Senators Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, Panfilo M. Lacson and Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay. — Camille A. Aguinaldo