Lapid to lawmakers: Carefully consider country's 'real interest' in cha-cha moves

Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid on Thursday urged lawmakers to carefully consider the “real interest of the country" in tackling proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

“Amending our Constitution is not a simple matter. There are a lot of questions that will need to be addressed. First is whether there is a need to amend the Constitution. Then what should be changed or amended? Finally, how do we go about it?,” Lapid told reporters in a Viber message.

As the Senate plays a crucial role in the legislative process, Lapid said lawmakers should ditch any initiative that “disenfranchises the millions of Filipinos who placed their hopes in the Senate to be their voice in the legislature.”

“In every step, there are a lot of voices that need to be heard, a lot of things that need to be studied. But the most important thing that needs to be established in this process is, for whom is the proposed charter change? Who stands to benefit from any proposed amendment?,” he asked.

Lapid, however, expressed optimism that the Senate is well-prepared to scrutinize any possible change to the Charter.

“The Senate is ready for the challenge of joining the discussion on the proposed amendments to the Constitution,” he said.

“We have full faith in Senate President Migz Zubiri and the Senate leadership that they will shepherd us into a meaningful study of our Constitution, where the real interest of our country will be the primordial consideration and basis for any decisions on this matter,” he added.