Senate President Pro-tempore Franklin Drilon saidon Sundaythat the public hearings for the revision or amendment of the 1987 Constitution will be “inclusive” and “transparent.”
Drilon, chair of the Senate Committee onConstitutionalAmendmentsand RevisionofCodes, said the first public hearing would be onSept. 6.
“As its chairman, I guarantee that all views and opinions will be heardandtaken into consideration,andthatno one will be left in the dark,” Drilon said in a statement.
“We will be consultative. We will try to cover asmanysectors as possible,” he added.
The senator said that the committee should first resolve whether there was a need to revise the Constitution.
Citing the results of a Pulse Asia survey in July which showed 44 percent of Filipinos opposing amending the Constitution and 37 percent approving it, Drilon emphasized the need for Filipinos to be informed about Charter change (Cha-cha).
“We need to informand educate our countrymen on Charter change. The peopleshouldbe involvedand must fully understand how thisproposed constitutional reformwill affect theirlives in the years to come.”
“Atthe end of the day, it isourpeoplewhowillultimatelydecide whether to ratify or notthe proposed changes to the Constitution,”Drilonsaid.
The senator said the committee would invite representatives fromvarious sectors such as the business community,labor,academe, civil society, sectoraland religiousgroups, aswell as constitutional and legal experts and former Supreme Court justices during the initial public hearing.
He also eyes holding public hearings on Cha-cha in cities outside Metro Manila such as Baguio, Cebu, and Davao.
Drilon authored Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 calling for a constitutional convention to amend the Charter./rga
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