Why the Constitution matters

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“DOES this heated debate on constitutional amendments concern us at all?” That was the question asked me by many last week, particularly fellow public servants in the local government sector. They were expressing their shared exasperation over the way our lawmakers were handling the debate on the proposed Constitutional Assembly which is being called to amend certain provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Some of them had called the reaction of a number of our senators “childish” and “too self-centered.” The critical remarks came in the heels of statements by lawmakers from the Upper Chamber where the intention to boycott the said assembly was declared.

“Why can’t the two houses of Congress get their act together?” some of my peers wondered.

Since I cannot answer on behalf of our lawmakers, I kept myself from expressing views that could further confuse the issues. What I appreciated in that discussion was the fact that people are now listening to the debates closely. We are now realizing that what our lawmakers would eventually do to the 1987 Constitution is something that matters to us – and matter to us significantly.

How the Constitution is to be amended is less significant to us than what the amendments would be.

The better approach for us is to steer clear of the raging conflict between the two houses of Congress as to the mode of amending the basic law of the land and to focus instead on what the changes are forthcoming.

We, ordinary Filipinos, need to ask two things about any and all proposed changes to the present Constitution.

First, would the proposed changes endanger or preserve and protect our non-negotiable?

Second, would the proposed changes create new opportunities which the current provisions may have failed to provide?

By “non-negotiable” we refer to the principles we, as a people, hold dear. Among them are family, faith, sovereignty, morals, our basic rights and the unity and integrity of our national territory.

We call them our “non-negotiable” because they cannot be the subject of compromise. They cannot be diminished in order to give way to something else.

By “new opportunities,” we refer to amendments to the Constitution that could open new possibilities for us – individually and as a nation. The opportunities could be “economic” in nature, such as provisions that could help bring in new and bigger capital to fund the expansion of business and industries. These may also include amendments that could help spread the wealth in our country and narrow the gap between the very rich and the very poor.

We also hope that such amendments would speed up the development of the countryside and help local governments and communities attain their dreams. As things stand today, economic and business opportunities still favor the already highly urbanized metropolis which President Duterte dubbed “dead” or “dying.”

There is a call for those who would author the changes to consult the people. This means we get to air our views and express our aspirations before the amendments are finalized.

It is also good to remember that the amendments will the subject of a plebiscite. Our vote of yes or no to those amendments will be counted.

When those amendments are presented to us – either during the pre-drafting consultations or the post-drafting referendum – we will test their relevance based on the two questions we earlier posed.

Will the amendments protect and preserve the non-negotiable: family, faith, morals, sovereignty, the national territory, and our basic rights.

This means we give an outright no-compromise “no” to any proposed amendment that would endanger our non-negotiable.

The amendments will also have to pass the “new opportunities” test.

If these can prove to us that wealth becomes more evenly distributed and that our livelihood and lives can become better, then we can consider giving such amendments our “yes.”

We will stay clear of the brewing battle among our lawmakers regarding the mode of amending the Constitution.

However, we will closely watch what amendments are proposed regardless of whether such changes are being done via a convention or an assembly. After all, the Constitution does matter to us and to the future of our children. *For feedback, please email it to antipolocitygov@gmail.com or send it to #4 Horse Shoe Drive, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Bgy. Beverly Hills, Antipolo City, Rizal.