Padilla ready to keep trying to convince the House to amend the Constitution via con-ass

Senator Robin Padilla, one of the proponents of Charter change in the Senate, said Sunday that he was prepared to keep trying to convince the House of Representatives to prioritize amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution through a Constituent Assembly (con-ass).

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, said the House’s inclination to pursue a constitutional convention (con-con) to change the Charter would take years and would need billions in funding.

“Ako po ay nagpakumbaba na po at nagpunta sa Kongreso, nagmano na po ako sa magigiting at mahal na mambabatas sa Kamara. At ako ay nakiusap na rin sa kanila, nagpaliwanag sa kanila, at kung kailangan ulitin ko po ‘yan ay gagawin ko po ‘yan,” he said.

(I humbly went to the Congress, paid my respects to the lawmakers of the House. I requested and explained it to them, and if I have to do it again, I will.)

Iloilo congressman Lorenz Defensor said last week that a House committee approved a resolution for con-con to make it “more acceptable to the public, with the same thrust of amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.”

Padilla argued that a con-ass was the practical way to amend the economic provisions of the Charter so that the proposed changes could be brought to the public through a plebiscite held at same time as the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.

“Kailangan natin ngayon, mabilis. Pagka inaprubahan ‘yan sa October barangay election, take effect na kaagad ‘yan ng susunod na Kongreso, pwede na kami umabante…gagawa na ng mga bagong paraan para mabuksan ang ating ekonomiya,” he said.

(We need something fast. If approved by the October polls, it can take effect immediately, and Congress can pass new measures to open our economy.)

The Constitution may be amended or revised through a constituent assembly (con-ass) of incumbent lawmakers, a constitutional convention (con-con) made up of delegates elected by the people, and a people's initiative.

However, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that Charter change was not a priority of his administration and the government's goals could be achieved under the present Constitution. — DVM, GMA Integrated News