Duterte forms review body on 1987 Charter

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has formed a consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution, by way of appointment letters sent out by Malacañang on Thursday, Jan. 25.

The appointments follow on the heels of a meeting over dinner Wednesday night between leaders of Congress to settle their row over how the legislature should vote on charter amendments.

The following were appointed to the committee:

Former chief justice Reynato S. Puno was appointed chairman of the 19- member committee (including Mr. Puno), which also includes former Senate president Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr., retired associate justice Antonio Eduardo B. Nachura, former assemblyman Reuben R. Canoy, and analysts Ranhilio C. Aquino and Edmund S. Tayao.

The other committee members are Arthur N. Aguilar, Eddie M. Alih, Antonio B. Arellano, Ali Pangalian M. Balindong, Virgilio C. Bautista, Victor S. dela Serna, Roan I. Libarios, Susan U. UbaldeOrdinario, Randolph C. Parcasio, Bienvenido L. Reyes, Rodolfo D. Robles, Julio C. Teehankee, and Laurence B. Wacnang.

On Wednesday night, leaders of Congress have agreed to focus on coming up with amendments to change the 1987 Constitution and to set aside debates over the manner of voting in a constituent assembly, the heads of both the Senate and the House of Representative said Thursday.

“We have decided to focus on the revisions that have to be made rather than how these changes will be effected,” Senate President Aquilino L. Pimentel III said in a statement.

“We agreed to discuss the manner of voting in another time. We will first talk about the details, for example, the government structure, until we amend the Constitution. And when we have finished, it will not make any difference anymore if we vote separately or jointly,” House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said in a radio interview.

A consensus was also reached among the leaders for the need to shift the government structure to federalism, according to Mr. Alvarez.

The agreement was made during a meeting over dinner Wednesday night among Messrs. Pimentel, Alvarez, Senate majority leader Vicente C. Sotto III and House majority floor leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas.

Both Messrs. Sotto and Alvarez described the gathering as “cordial.”

Asked if there were specific amendments discussed in the meeting, Mr. Pimentel said they talked about the system of government and the economic provisions in the present Constitution.

Business groups as well as other lawmakers have been calling for amending the Constitution but only for the purpose of changing its economic provisions, particularly on foreign ownership limits.

“It’s just a matter of explaining to the people that we are doing this to benefit the country. Number one, to save money by streamlining some processes, number two, by equalizing development all over the country by sharing powers and resources, and number three, making the government, the administration more accountable because of the adoption of some parliamentary concepts,” Mr. Pimentel said. — main report by