Poll: 8 of 16 regions favor constituent assembly

Half of Filipinos now not only favor amending the Constitution but also want amendments made through a constituent assembly, a spokesman for the ruling Lakas party said in a statement.

A survey of 1,600 Filipinos nationwide showed that eight of the country’s 16 regions, including Metro Manila, chose constituent assembly over constitutional convention as the means of introducing amendments, former senator Heherson Alvarez said.

"There is now a groundswell of support for constituent assembly to amend the 1987 Charter," Alvarez said. The opinion poll was conducted by NFO-Trends from April 24 to May 4 and commissioned by Lakas.

"More Filipinos are now inclined to have the Charter amended through a constituent assembly before 2004," said Alvarez, who is now President Arroyo’s adviser for overseas Filipino communities. "This is a major development which our leaders and political parties cannot ignore."

At least 50 percent of residents in the Bicol Region, Central Luzon, Cordillera Autonomous Region, Southern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Southern Tagalog and Western Visayas prefer a constituent assembly, Alvarez said, citing the poll’s results.

Two influential religious organizations, the Roman Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai and the Iglesia ni Cristo, have registered their opposition to the latest Charter change move, saying the country has more pressing problems.

Each commands large memberships and has been known to vote as a bloc in elections.

"I am appealing to the Iglesia ni Cristo and the El Shaddai to listen," said Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., who’s spearheading the latest Charter change campaign. "We want to see what their objections are so maybe we can answer them, maybe we can clarify them."

Yesterday, another group weighing in on the issue, Bangon Pilipino, issued a statement suggesting that Filipinos be asked in a referendum if they want the Constitution amended or not. The referendum may be held simultaneously with next year’s elections.

Ratified in 1987, the Constitution, under Article 17, provides three ways for making amendments: through a constitutional assembly, a constitutional convention or a people’s initiative.

In a constituent assembly, the legislature would propose amendments. In a constitutional convention, delegates elected by the people to the body would make the amendments. In a people’s initiative, at least 12 percent of the electorate may propose changes through a petition.

All amendments are to be ratified by the people in a plebiscite.

The administrations of Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada pushed for amendments saying they were necessary to spur economic growth.

However, Charter change proposals were shelved because of strong public opposition, fueled by suspicion that politicians only want to remove limits on their terms so they can remain in office.

Term limits were put in place in the Constitution when it was rewritten in 1986 following the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos, to prevent local officials from staying in power indefinitely and prevent abuse.

Some senators, including Senate President Franklin Drilon, disagree with the House on when and how to introduce constitutional amendments, putting the Charter change move in doubt.

They said changes should be made after the 2004 elections and through a constitutional convention.

Amending the Constitution through a constituent assembly would be viewed with suspicion by a public wary of politicians who want to abuse their stay in public office, they said.

In a 134-13 vote in March, the House of Representatives adopted Concurrent Resolution 16, which called for convening both chambers of Congress into a constituent assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The resolution endorsed a shift in the form of government from presidential to parliamentary, with a unicameral legislature. A federal system would be adopted after a fixed ten-year transition period.

De Venecia said changing the current form of government would remove gridlocks and speed up economic reforms and development.

A similar measure, Senate Concurrent Resolution 13, is currently pending in the Senate. It was filed in January by Sen. Edgardo Angara, president of the LDP, and Sen. Robert Barbers, of the ruling Lakas-NUCD.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and El Shaddai religious movements said at a Senate hearing on Monday they are opposing any moves to implement Charter change this year.

The same stance was taken by the National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice & Peace (NASSA), the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The Catholic Church has yet to make a stand on the proposed convening of a constituent assembly as a mode of amending the Constitution.

A Church official who requested anonymity said that they are continuously monitoring "actions on all sides" regarding the issue of Charter change.

Earlier, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin asked lawmakers during the anniversary of EDSA II "to lay aside another divisive issue, which is Charter change."— With Eva Visperas, Mayen Jaymalin, Jose Rodel Clapano