Iminungkahi ni Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile na susugan ang kasalukuyang 1987 Constitution at ibalik ang dating 1935 o ang 1973 Constitutions. Panahon na rin daw na dagdagan ang bilang ng mga senador.
Sa pagdinig ng Senate constitutional amendments and revision of codes committee nitong Miyerkules, sinabi ni Enrile na ginawang komplikado ng 1987 Constitution ang mga probisyon sa 1935 at 1973 Constitutions.
Katwiran ni Enrile, dating Senate President, mas "brief, simple, and easy to understand" ang 1935 Constitution.
"Ngayon, 'pag tanungin ninyo ako ano ba ang gagawin natin, marami po. Una ang aking mungkahi go back, that is my preference, I'm not binding anybody, go back to the 1935 Constitution or at the very least if we want to change it immediately, go to the 1973 Constitution," pahayag ni Enrile.
Dapat na rin umanong dagdagan ang bilang ng mga senador dahil na rin sa lumalaking populasyon ng bansa.
"If we are going to change the number of senators at the present time, to be in tune with the number of the expanded population of the country (because) at the time of the adoption of the 1935 Constitution we are only 12 million people. Now, we are more than 100 million people and if we are going to increase the number of senators, I would suggest that we double the present number 24 to 48," paliwanag niya.
"With that 48, 16 will go out every two years to be elected by the people so that new, fresh, and modernized mind will enter the system to contribute to the intellectual capability or academic capability of the remaining members," patuloy niya.
Ayon kay Enrile, itinakda sa 1935 Constitution ang 24 na senador pero ginawa sa 1987 Constitution na ang kalahati nito ang ihahalal ng mga tao kada ika-anim na taon.
"Delikado 'yan. They did not understand why under the 1935 Constitution the wise men of the Philippines...ginawa nilang 24 but every two years exposed to the mandate of the people, eight of these 24 people and the 16 will remain standing all the time, was embedded in the Constitution," giit niya.
"The purpose of changing eight every two years was to be sure that two-thirds of all the senators must be in place at any given time without any interregnum. So that in case of danger, war, invasion, or rebellion like what happened to us or any kind of emergency, epidemic, pandemic, there must always be 16 senators that can be relied upon to maintain the government of the Republic of the Philippines not for their sake but for the sake of the Filipino people, for their safety and security," patuloy niya.
Sang-ayon din si Enrile na ilagay muli ang "imminent danger" sa martial law provision sa Konstitusyon para makatugon umano ang pamahalaan sakaling magkaroon ng digmaan, rebelyon o insurehiya.
"Ginulo nila ang martial law provision. Nu'ng dineclare namin ang martial law, simple lang. The Supreme Court cannot interfere. Nobody can interfere, the power of the president was absolute," giit niya.—FRJ, GMA News
