Ex-justice leads Charter change efforts through people’s initiative

Former justice and congressman Vicente Veloso stepped forward as a leading petitioner for a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Drawing from my tenure as the chairman of the House committee on constitutional reform, I understand the intricacies and the profound responsibility involved in amending our Constitution,” Veloso said.

“This background fortifies my conviction that the People’s Initiative is a legitimate, democratic method to propose necessary reforms,” he added.

The people’s initiative is a process outlined in the 1987 Constitution, specifically in Section 2, Article XVII, allowing the Filipino people to directly propose amendments to the Constitution.

The process requires the gathering of signatures from at least twelve percent of the total number of registered voters, with at least three percent from each legislative district.

“Having been intimately involved in discussions and deliberations on constitutional changes, I recognize the potential of the people’s initiative to reflect the true will of the Filipino people,” he said.

Veloso lamented that while it took only about 14 years for the People Power Revolution to revise the 1973 Constitution, the 1987 Constitution has been unchanged for about thirty seven years now.

For his part, Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Richard Gomez on Thursday dismissed as false news the claim that congressmen have been offered P20 million each to deliver the signatures needed by the proposed people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

“There is no truth to this statement. Nobody has to pay or bribe me or any other lawmakers when it comes to pushing for constitutional reforms, which I believe will truly help our economy and improve the lives of our Filipino people,” Gomez, representative of Leyte’s fourth district, said.

Gomez, member of the House committee on local government, said he is willing to “be a frontliner, if I need to or if I am tasked to do it” in advancing changes to the Charter because “a revised Constitution can pave the way for reforms that encourage foreign investments, streamline bureaucratic processes, and foster a more business-friendly environment which, in turn, can contribute to job creation, poverty reduction, and overall economic development.”

Gomez also stressed that “political and social concerns, such as political dynasties, corruption, and the protection of human rights, can be more exhaustively discussed when constitutional reforms are tackled.”

Gomez said there is nothing to fear about Charter change because the intention of the House leadership is not term extension but to introduce economic reforms.

“Who are the people afraid of constitutional reforms? Gomez asked. “These are the politicians who think their term limits will be changed, shortened or scrapped, a reason which is totally self-serving and selfish.”

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, meanwhile, welcomed the manifesto of support issued by the League of Provinces – composed of all provincial governors; and the League of Mayors, composed of all elected mayors nationwide, for the people’s initiative that he said is gaining ground. Barbers said if only the senators who are opposed to Charter change would ask their friends in the business sector and in local governments, they would realize that amending the Constitution is not a clamor from politicians alone but from the people and the business community.

Like Gomez, Barbers said there was nothing to fear about Charter change, as safeguards could be put in place.

In other developments:

* Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag urged critics of Charter change to leave his agency out of the discussion amid reports that one of its programs is being used for the signature campaign to push for Charter change. Tayag issued the statement after Senator Imee Marcos expressed anger at the alleged use of government financial aid for the signature campaign.

* Senator Imee Marcos warned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) they could be charged with technical malversation if it uses its P12 billion additional budget for efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution. She said that while the poll body requested additional funding for personnel and building payments, it did not mention any spending for a plebiscite. But Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the additional funding is “definitely” not related to Charter change.

* Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno expressed concern on the moves to amend the 1987 Constitution through a people’s initiative. Amid reports of alleged “buying of signatures” for the initiative, Diokno noted that under the law, people’s initiative should only be used to amend specific provisions of the 1987 Constitution and not for the revision of the entire Charter. In Lambino v. Comelec, the deliberations of the Constitutional Commission showed that the framers of the Constitution intended, and wrote, a clear distinction between “amendment” and ‘”revision” of the Constitution, whereby only Congress or a constitutional convention may propose revisions, while the people’s initiative may propose only amendments to the Constitution. Should the proponents insist on changing the term limits of elected officials and foreign ownership via people’s initiative, Diokno said the move could be challenged before the Supreme Court.

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