Angara: Now’s best time to amend Charter

SEN. EDGARDO Angara sees a “perfect opportunity” to amend the Constitution during the Aquino presidency, but urged proponents to go beyond economic reforms and consider changing the country’s weak and overly centralized political structure.

“This is the perfect opportunity for a favorable constitutional change... If the country seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution, it is best to do so while President Aquino is in power,” said Angara, the latest to lend his support to the revived campaign to alter the Constitution.

Angara recalled that previous campaigns at Charter change had been unsuccessful “because the proponents merely wanted to extend their terms.” This time, however, Angara said he was confident Mr. Aquino has no such sinister plan.

But Angara said Charter change proponents must “go beyond economic reforms and consider changing the political structure.”

“Our weak political structure is the root cause of our slow progress. We should amend the constitutional provisions that make us so highly bureaucratic,” Angara said.

Angara, however, added that political amendments were overdue.

“We have to empower the local governments. We have to decentralize and transfer more control from the center, from Malacañang and Manila, to the provinces. Our country will definitely grow,” he said.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte last week renewed calls to amend the Constitution.

Misamis Occidental Rep. Loreto Ocampos, chair of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said: “I am waiting for the marching orders...The window of opportunity for Charter change is very, very narrow because a big factor is the filing of candidacies from Oct. 1 to 15.”

In a radio interview, Ocampos concurred with Belmonte that Charter change “would be a breeze” if the revisions were limited to restrictions on foreign ownership of land, utilities and media.

“What I have received so far are broad strokes, a smoke screen. We can approve the changes in the economic provisions at the committee level but they can suggest other changes during the plenary. So who will decide what should be taken up? It’s a numbers game, that’s why we have to be sure of the parameters. We can only have an assurance if we have a party stand, If it’s only a conscience vote, we will not know what will happen,” said Ocampos.