Committee Chair Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City).
THE House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved — with 16 affirmative and three negative votes, and one abstention — Monday afternoon, the Committee Report on the unnumbered Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to call for a Constitutional Convention (con-con) which shall propose amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Committee Chair Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City) explained that the said RBH is the constituent power to call for a convention needing votes of two-thirds of all its members, as provided for under Section 3, Article XVII, of the 1987 Constitution.
The panel however suspended deliberations on the committee report on the unnumbered House bill to implement the said RBH.
“It is the accompanying bill which will also have constituent power that will provide for qualifications, the budget, and other powers that will be given,” Rodriguez said.
Former Supreme Court chief justice Renato Puno supported the move, stating that the 1987 Constitution should not only be amended but also revised to meet the current needs and necessities.
“The world in the last decades of the 20th century is a totally different world in the opening decade of the 21st century. The geopolitical situation in the world has undergone radical transformation. The balance of political and economic power in this planet has changed. The digital revolution is redefining our way of life, including the text and texture of our fundamental rights to life, liberty, and property.”
He suggested amending the Constitution by way of a hybrid form of constitutional convention where delegates would be selected through election and by appointment.
Resource persons representing the legal, business, private sectors and government agencies also presented their positions.
Committee on Constitutional Amendments Vice Chair and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor and Vice Chair and Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Divine Yu co-chaired the hearing.
