Friday, 13 May 2011 10:16
Rep. Loreto Ocampos (2nd District, Misamis Occidental), Chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, said they will hold public hearings, media events and survey on the proposed charter change in many parts of the country. The campaign will begin May 27 in Cagayan de Oro City.
Ocampos said the House body will hold public consultations to listen to the people's sentiments and views on the proposed charter change. "We will encourage them to participate in this mass undertaking," he said.
Ocampos is the author of House Concurrent Resolution 10 convening Congress into a constituent assembly to propose amendments to certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
"The committee will focus on economic provisions, form of government, judicial reforms and extension of term of local government officials. We may already see compelling reasons for charter change but we will listen to the pulse of the people," Ocampos said.
To be included in the agenda during the public consultations is the proposal to amend the charter through constitutional convention and constituent assembly, which could be decided by the people in a national referendum.
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City) said the public should first be heard before allowing the members of the committee and other resource persons to speak on issue during the public hearings.
"It is about time to grant autonomy to some parts of the country and destroy the concept of imperial Manila," Rodriguez said.
Rep. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro), Vice Chairman of the House body, said the committee will allow resource persons and sectoral representatives to express their sentiments and views on the issues.
"They will be allowed to participate in the public consultation which will be conducted in many areas in the country," Umali said.
At present, there are ten measures filed at the House of Representatives calling for a constitutional convention, constitutional assembly and people’s initiatives to amend the Constitution.
Rep. Elpidio Barzaga (Lone District, Dasmariñas City) authored House Bill 2264 that calls for a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
"The constitutional convention to propose amendments to the constitution is the most transparent, exhaustive and democratic means of implementing constitutional reforms among the other modes of amending the Constitution," Barzaga said.
The other measures seeking amendments to the charter are the House Concurrent Resolution 4 by Barzaga, House Joint Resolution 3 by Rep. Victor Ortega (1st District, La Union), House Joint Resolution 6 by Rodriguez, House Resolution 8 by Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2nd District, Pampanga), House Resolution 155 by Rep. Emil Ong (2nd District, Northern Samar) and House Resolution 846 by Rep. Ben Evardone (Lone District, Eastern Samar).
Rep. Danilo Suarez (3rd District, Quezon) authored House Resolution 9, which fixes the term of office of elected government officials to five years.
House Resolution 915 filed by Rep. Sergio Apostol (2nd District, Leyte) proposes amendments to Article XII, Section 2 and 3 of the Constitution through people’s initiative to allow acquisition by foreign corporations and associations and the transfer or conveyance of alienable public lands and private lands.
source: http://www.congress.gov.ph
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