SENATORS crossed party-lines and signed a manifesto rejecting the people’s initiative (PI) in amending the 1987 Constitution, saying the “Senate of the people will not allow itself to be silenced.”
The manifesto was read during the plenary session Tuesday, July 23, 2024, by Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri immediately after the session started.
All 24 senators signed the resolution, a day after a three-hour caucus Monday that focused on the Resolution of both Houses No. 6, a measure proposing amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
“Today, the Senate once again stands as the country’s last bastion of democracy, as it rejects this brazen attempt to violate the Constitution, the country and our people,” read the manifesto.
“This Senate of the people will not allow itself to be silenced,” it stressed.
The senators said they respect and recognize the people’s right to call for constitutional amendments. “We must, however, guard against any sinister and underhanded attempt to change the Constitution by exploiting our democratic process under the guise of a people’s initiative,” they said.
The manifesto stated that the so-called “people’s” initiative proposes constituent assembly (con-ass), both the Senate and the House voting jointly, thus eliminating the Senate from the equation.
“While it seems simple, the goal is apparent – to make it easier to revise the Constitution by eliminating the Senate from the equation. It is an obvious prelude to further amendments, revisions, or even an overhaul of our entire Constitution,” the manifesto said.
According to the manifesto, if the PI prospers, further changes to the Constitution can be done with or without the Senate’s approval, or worse, even absent all the senators.
“This singular and seemingly innocuous change in the Constitution will open the floodgates to a wave of amendments and revisions that will erode the nation as we know it. To allow joint voting will destroy the delicate balance on which our hard-won democracy rests. It will destabilize the principle of bicameralism and our system of checks and balances,” it stated.
It said the Senate would be left powerless to stop even the most radical proposals such as foreign ownership of lands and the removal of term limits or a no election scenario in 2025, or worse, in 2028. “It is ridiculous that the Senate, a co-equal chamber of the House, which is needed to pass even local bills, will have a dispensable and diluted role in Charter Change – the most monumental act of policymaking concerning the highest law in the land,” the manifesto stated.
The senators said throughout Philippine history, the Senate “has always been one of the first targets by those who seek to undermine our country’s democracy.” “Today, the Senate once again stands as a bastion of democracy, as it rejects this brazen attempt to violate the Constitution, the country and our people,” it added.
