Senators reject ‘no-el’ scenario in 2019

ALVAREZ: TERM EXTENSIONS NEEDED DURING TRANSITION TO FEDERALISM

SENATE President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd on Thursday dismissed as mere “ideas” plans to extend the terms of elected of of government through Charter change.

He made the remark amid reports of a “no-election” scenario in 2019 once Congress approves the shift to federalism.

Pimentel declined to comment on a report that majority of the ruling PDPLaban party supported the new termlimit proposals of party stalwart Raul Lambino, administrator of Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

According to Lambino, the PDP-Laban lawmakers without term limits.

Under Lambino’s proposal, the prime minister of the new government will come from the House of Representatives.

Pressed to react on Lambino’s statements, Pimentel said: “No comment.

Since there is no proposal cast in stone, each one is free to air his ideas.”

The allies of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Senate and House of Representatives are set to tackle federalism in May 2018, with the objective of convening as a Constituent Assembly to propose and approve changes to the 1987 Constitution.

measure calling for a shift to federalism from a unitary government.

‘Pangilinan’s tales’

Pimentel also shrugged off as “tales” Sen. Francis Pangilinan’s claims concerning the proposed Charter amendments from the House of Representatives.

According to Pangilinan, the following are some of the “rumored” Charter amendments being crafted at the House:

• there will be a 10-year transition period under federalism wherein there will be no elections, and term extensions will be pushed for the

• the term of office President Duterte, the senators and congressmen will be extended;

• because there will be no elections,

• Duterte will be given the power to craft laws just like Amendment No. 6 during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos, until the creation of

• foreign restrictions on the exploitation of natural resources will be removed.

“Let us defend democracy. The people want jobs, affordable food, and additional income, not Cha-cha,” said Pangilinan, a member of the Senate minority bloc.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph to revise the Constitution in a few months. “For starters, I have not read any details on federalism. I expect to have (mid-term) elections in 2019.”

- sition need not invent the best antidote to Charter change. No less than the two leaders of both houses of Congress have started campaigning against it, albeit subliminally.”

‘ Virtual rubberstamp’

At the House, the opposition bloc claimed a Constituent Assembly would be a “virtual rubberstamp” of President Duterte.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, the leader claimed in a statement that members of the House Supermajority, led by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, would railroad the shift to federalism through the assembly.

“With the projected constituent assembly principally composed of Duterte’s dyed-in-the wool allies, what the President wants as amendments or revision will be delivered with alacrity and minimal debate,” Lagman said.

Lagman cited the “fast- tracking” done when the two chambers of Congress met to discuss the two extensions of martial law in Mindanao, as well as the approval of the re-imposition of death penalty by the House.

Lagman said a constitutional convention must be called instead, where the delegates are elected by the people to propose amendments to or the revision of the 1987 Constitution.

“We must not count centavos and pesos in undertaking a charter change by asserting that a constituent assembly is less expensive than holding a constitutional convention. It is not a question of expense but a matter of independence and integrity,” Lagman said.

In a television interview on Wednesday, Alvarez said the convening of Congress as a Constituent Assembly would be the top agenda of the House this year.

On Thursday, Alvarez maintained that term extensions might be needed under a transition government needed for the shift from unitary to a federal government.

is right because in any Constitution, there is a transitory provision to address the transition government,” Alvarez said in a radio interview.