MANILA – A House of Representatives leader on Tuesday said constitutional assembly (con-ass) is far more appropriate than constitutional convention (con-con) in proposing amendments to the 1987 Constitution’s “restrictive” economic provisions.
House Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Representative Aurelio Gonzales Jr. made this remark two weeks after the House voted 301-7 to pass House Bill 7352 seeking to form a con-con to amend the 36-year-old Constitution.
On March 7, the House also approved the Resolution of Both Houses 6 paving the way for the holding of a hybrid con-con.
“I agree with Senate President Migz (Juan Miguel) Zubiri that a con-con will have plenary powers, including proposing political amendments. Congress will have no control over a con-con. So, should we not instead convene as a con-ass?” Gonzales said.
Gonzalez said con-ass would address both the misgivings of the senators on the plenary powers of a con-con and the business groups’ concern about the high cost of a convention that could reach PHP14 billion.
He said for the PHP10,000 allowance per day of each 320 con-con delegates alone, around PHP672 million will be needed excluding travel and lodging allowances of the delegates and their respective staff during the seven-month life of the convention.
The business groups have said the huge amount a convention would require could better be used for economic development activities like building more roads.
Gonzales renewed his push for a con-ass after Speaker Martin Romualdez made a remark that the House is open to discussing with the Senate the mode of changing the language of the Charter’s economic provisions.
He said con-ass “is the most expeditious, most inexpensive and most controllable manner of proposing Charter amendments.”
The expenses in a con-ass, he said, would be minimal since there would be no need for an election, unlike in a con-con.
“There would neither be additional salaries and allowances nor additional personnel and whatever expenses that may be incurred, we could charge them to our own budget,” he added.
Congress, he said, could meet as a con-ass in the morning and as a legislature in the afternoon. (PNA)
