Treñas: City unfazed by national political bickering
ILOILO City – The city government is unfazed by the current political bickering besetting national leaders involving the Marcos-Duterte Uniteam over various political issues, including the people’s initiative as a mode to amend the 1987 Constitution.
“Even amid poli t i cal bickering, Iloilo City will continue to rise. We have a new party – FOE (friends of everyone),” said Mayor Jerry P. Treñas during his press conference.
Treñas said they would welcome anyone who visits the city even if they belong to the other political party, adding that what matters to the city are continued developments.
The mayor mentioned the ongoing Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II, the proposed Panay-Guimaras bridge, and the privatization and i mprovement of the Iloilo Airport and the Iloilo international port in Lapuz district as game-changers in Iloilo.
Sen. Imee Marcos and House Speaker Mart i n Romualdez are at loggerheads over a move to amend the Constitution through the people’s initiative.
Marcos claimed her cousin Romualdez is “definitely” behind the controversial people’s initiative to rewrite the Constitution.
In an interview during the Dinagyang Festival tribes competition at the Freedom Grandstand on Jan. 28, Sen. Bong Go also voiced his opposition to the ongoing controversial move to amend the Constitution via people’s initiative.
“With the people’ s initiative, the government will lose the ‘check and balance’. That is supposed to be the reason why we have upper and lower chambers for the government legislators to have checks and balances,” Go told reporters.
The Senate manifesto emphasizes the risks associated with the current people’s initiative proposal that the Senate and the House of Representatives vote jointly rather than separately as a constituent assembly on constitutional amendments.
Voting 24-0, Go said that all senators voted unanimously against the ongoing people’s initiative.
The senator emphasized the importance of safeguarding the constitution and the Senate as an institution, to ensure there are “checks and
balances” in government.
He a dded t hat a ny proposed amendment to the constitution must focus on the welfare of ordinary Filipino citizens and not for the political gain of anyone.
Under the Constitution, amendment via the people’s initiative requires that the measure must be supported by at least 12 percent of all registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three percent of the registered voters.
Otherwise, the tribunal said the petition would not prosper.
In the case of Lambino versus Comelec, the tribunal also stated that there are three modes of amending the Constitution under Article XVII.
The first mode is through Congress, acting as a constituent assembly, upon a three-fourth vote of all its members.
The second mode is through a constitutional convention created under a law passed by Congress, and the third mode is through a people’s initiative.
However, no amendment under the people’s initiative mode may be al l owed within five years following the ratification of the Constitution.
People’s initiative means the method is limited to amendments only. The people’s initiative cannot revise the Constitution.
While admitting the need to introduce certain amendments to the Constitution, Treñas said that such a process lies on the lawmakers.
“Whatever the mode of changing the constitution, they are still the same. What is important is the service to our constituents,” the mayor said./