PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) will support efforts to amend or revise the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag said the political party decided to declare support for the move to reform the constitution after its national officers that include Senators Robinhood Padilla, Francis Tolentino, and Ronald dela Rosa convened Tuesday.
鈥淲e will support the move for Charter change (Cha-cha), specifically [on the] economic provisions,鈥� he told 黑料社 in a text message.
He said details of PDP-Laban鈥檚 support regarding whether Cha-cha should be done through constitutional convention (con-con) or constitutional assembly (con-ass) will be released Thursday after party chairman and former President Rodrigo Duterte signs the resolution.
At a Senate hearing on Monday, Matibag said PDP-Laban will defer to Congress on the mode of amending the 1987 Constitution.
But he said a con-con would be a 鈥済ood alternative鈥� so as not to hamper the lawmaking obligations of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Matibag also argued that 鈥渋t is but proper that the people directly choose who will represent them to change the Constitution.鈥�
But this is different from the mode being pushed by Padilla, the prime Cha-cha mover in the upper chamber, who is seeking to loosen the restrictive economic provisions in the decades-old constitution through con-ass.
READ: Padilla finds it hard to accept senators not being open to Cha-cha: 鈥楴ag-file kayo niyan鈥�
Padilla, head of the Senate panel on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, had earlier said mustering support from PDP-Laban members on the push for constitutional changes should be 鈥渁utomatic.鈥�
He also threatened to resign from the party and go independent should PDP-Laban refuse to stand behind his Cha-cha crusade.
READ: Padilla warns of splitting with PDP-Laban if party rejects Cha-cha bid backing
On March 14, the House of Representatives approved the bill that seeks to implement the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 that calls for the establishment of con-con to amend or revise the Charter.
RELATED STORIES
No numbers to push Charter change in Senate 鈥� Zubiri
Zubiri says Senate won鈥檛 be dissolved under his watch: If it means my head, then so be it
ACT to admin: Prioritize education over Cha-cha, globe-trotting, NTF-Elcac聽