Salceda wants charter change now

Amending the 1987 Constitution should commence now, where 2028 national polls are still years away, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said Monday.

The economist-lawmaker floated the proposal in the wake of revived talks about revisiting the nearly 37-year-old Constitution, which raises strong objections from some lawmakers, particularly those in the opposition.

Attempts to amend the Charter have been unsuccessful in previous Congresses in fear that the move would prolong the tenure of sitting officials, including the President.

He downplayed that the push anew for the cha-cha was solely to give an advantage to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as calls for revisions in the Constitution, particularly on the economic front, had long been the consensus in the House of Representatives.

To guarantee that the proposed Charter change or cha-cha would not confer any premature beneficial effects on Marcos, Salceda said it is better to initiate revisions to the Constitution long before the 2028 presidential elections "so that the public can rest assured that this is no attempt to extend President Marcos' term."

"The time to do it is now, when there is also enough time to do it before the 2025 midterm elections," he added.

Back in December, House leaders announced their renewed attempt to tweak the 1987 Constitution, which is scheduled to roll this year.

Speaker Martin Romualdez assured that the center of the move is to lift the "restrictive" economic restrictions on the entry of foreign capital and investments in the country under the current Charter and not the other way around.

19th Congress legacy

Should it be pushed through, Cha-cha would be the "legacy" of the 19th Congress, he said.

The House bared the move months after its proposed constitutional convention or con-con faltered in the Senate earlier this year.

To recall, the two chambers of Congress have been clashing about their solid differing stance on whether or not to amend the Constitution via con-con as proposed by the House.