CHA-CHA REVIVED IN HOUSE

A LAWMAKER on Monday proposed for a Constitutional Convention (ConCon) which will undertake a review of the 1987 Constitution.

Deputy Speaker and National Unity Party (NUP) chairperson Ronaldo Puno said the ConCon will undertake a sweeping review of the 38-year-old Constitution to revise some vague provisions that “obstruct reform, hinder effective governance, and erode public trust.”

In a privilege speech, the Antipolo First District congressman said the ConCon is “the most prudent, transparent and participatory mechanism” to institute much-needed reforms in the 1987 Charter.

“Today, I submit to this august chamber that while the provisions of our constitution are noble in aspiration, certain provisions are marked by ambiguity and procedural deficiency. These deficiencies do not merely complicate interpretation. They obstruct reform, hinder effective governance and erode public trust,” Puno said.

According to the Antipolo solon, his proposal is not a call to discard the Constitution but instead a call to complete and correct it.

Puno explained that a ConCon allows the people, through their chosen delegates, to correct textual deficiencies, reconcile contradictions, remove ambiguities, institutionalize much-needed reform, and ensure that the foundational law of the land meets the needs of a dynamic and democratic society.

“A Constitutional Convention ensures singularity of purpose that is, to formulate and propose changes to the Constitution. Unlike a constituent Assembly, they will not be pre-occupied nor derailed with law-making, oversight functions and impeachment concerns,” he added.

Puno said amending the 1987 Philippine Constitution would prevent recurring legal disputes and reduce reliance on the Supreme Court to resolve ambiguities in the charter.

He mentioned that there were several instances in which ambiguous provisions and textual flaws weakened the Charter’s legal foundations, the most recent of which was the interpretation of the word “forthwith” in Article XI, Section 3(4) on impeachment, which should have been a procedural safeguard against delay, but has instead become a source of deadlock and controversy.

The Antipolo lawmaker said the case showed how a single ambiguous word “can become the justification for legislative inaction, procedural manipulation or worse, the loss of accountability itself.”

 “Mr. Speaker, I do not stand before this Chamber to prescribe solutions to these complex legal dilemmas. But I do contend, with deep conviction, that the Filipino people deserve a constitution that speaks plainly and very clearly,” Puno said.

Meanwhile, Malacañang on Tuesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to calls to amend certain provisions of the 1987 Constitution, if they seek to correct constitutional ambiguities.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement after Puno called for a ConCon to propose amendments to the Supreme Law of the land to address its so-called vague language.

But Castro said that for now, President Marcos has no firm stance on the proposal until full details about it have been released.