Published January 11, 2021, 2:10 PM
Three Catholic prelates believe the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is being used as an excuse to amend the Constitution.
“They are using all kinds of reasons to push for ‘cha cha’ (charter change), and now the coronavirus. Before it was for economic reasons and then to reform party list laws. This is very suspect,” Archdiocese of Manila apostolic administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo said in an interview Monday.
“At this time, to push for ‘cha cha’ is to extend terms or avoid election or avoid accountability (for) their misgovernance,” he added.
Retired bishops Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon and Teodoro Bacani Jr. agreed with Pabillo.
The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments assured the public Sunday that its deliberations on Charter change Wednesday will “plainly and exclusively” focus on the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Opening Philippine economy to foreign capital vital for recovery By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News
Published January 10, 2021 12:49pm Opening up the economy to foreign investors is crucial in helping the Philippine economy recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Sunday as he pushed to amend the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution. In a statement, Velasco confirmed that he has instructed the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments to open Charter change (Cha-cha) deliberations on amending the restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution as stated in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2 which he filed back in July 2019.
CALOOCAN CITY, Jan. 8 (PIA) A senior official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday described as timely and wise Congress decision to resume deliberations on proposals to amend the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution and to convene both Houses of Congress as a constituent assembly.
“The resumption of Congressional deliberations on Constitutional Reform (CORE) is both timely and wise,” DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said.
“Congress has passed Bayanihan I and Bayanihan II and even extended its validity for 1 more year. It also passed the 2021 GAA which allocated funds for vaccine procurement and a more robust Covid response. Congress has done its job to battle the pandemic. It’s now time for Congress to work on long-term reform which is CORE,” he added.