Case for Con-Con

WHEN government and its Constitution no longer serve the purpose by which it was established, the Constitution must be amended – through a Constitutional Convention or ConCon.

While Congress is heading to the right direction, Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 7 still falls short of what must be done.

In March 2023 Congress passed a resolution calling for a Con-Con, but the Senate killed the proposal, allegedly, for fear it would abolish it.

Congress then moved to the spoiled and controversial Peoples Initiative.

Now, for a compromise, both chambers have agreed to a modified Constituent Assembly they called RBH 7, but highly questionable and is not provided for under the Constitution.

In efforts of Congress to amend or change the Constitution, never designed to last more than five years, it has always found itself severely stuck in a rut because this Constitution failed to provide an effective way of changing itself.

The framers of this revolutionary Constitution never saw that the checks and balance they put by creating two houses of Congress to protect people from concentrated power shall be used by the politicians to remain in power.

The reason this Constitution was created is now the same reason it is being removed. Because concentrated power leads to corruption.

I am asking, again, President Marcos, Jr. to call for a Constitutional Convention.

Con-Con would not only address corruption in government, but would also address the political crisis and social injustices.

This can bring all battling factions of society to the table to talk about their issues and concerns and write the best plan that will be acceptable for everyone to live with, survive and thrive and our nation can escape the corrupt system of government that has ensnared us.

It will allow our people to form a new government that shall protect individual liberties while serving national interest.

The framers can create a Constitution that shall truly express the sentiments of the people.

A Con-Con will allow the people to form a new government and create systems more attuned to address the country’s needs and would allow us to redefine the nations goals, priorities and create our desired character as a nation.

It will remove excessive powers of the President, Congress and a centralized system of government that is being abused by corrupt officials to excessively wield authority and stay in power.

It will instead allow the emergence of new leaders and help create a more balanced, stronger and efficient government that assists progress and protects liberties.

It will ensure the voices of the Filipinos from all sectors, regions and provinces would be heard and that they shall be empowered to address problems more promptly and efficiently brought before them by their communities, tribes, barangays, local units and industries.

Through a Con-Con, the framers would have the opportunity to liberate trade and economy among the islands by eliminating bureaucratic red tape, breaking corruption, and liberating systems of land ownership, restrictive trade and economic regulations.

It can break corruption by empowering other regions to have full control of their own resources and by allowing them to freely govern themselves according to what is good for them as a region or a province without the excessive central government systems and controls over their resources, rights and liberties.

We will have the chance to strengthen our judicial system to fight crime and corruption, particularly in upholding transparency, implementing the law and penalizing criminals and corrupt acts more swiftly and justly.

I hope President Marcos will call for a Constitutional Convention – may well be his greatest legacy – as he is in the position to put this together and unite the leaders and our people.

Let us continue our efforts to secure the benefits of freedom for every Filipino through a Con-Con.

(The author, former Presidential Anti-Crime Commission chairman, is a Master in National Security Administration.)

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A Con-Con will remove excessive powers of the President, Congress and a centralized system of government being abused by corrupt officials to excessively wield authority and stay in power