Is Cha-Cha timely?

By Eugene Uy People's Voice July 24, 2020 Rep. Rodriguez proposing the Cha-Cha to Sec. Año. (Photo from Onenews.ph) The desir...

By Eugene Uy
People's Voice
July 24, 2020

Rep. Rodriguez proposing the Cha-Cha to Sec. Año. (Photo from Onenews.ph)

The desire of Duterte and his allies to press for reform in the charter is never-ending. In addition, the League of Municipalities has made an agreement to pass a resolution to amend the constitution. The DILG launched a signature movement to pass a resolution on the amendment. And the House of Representatives took heed to the call.

Constitutional reform in the Philipines, also known as Charter Change or “Cha-Cha” refers to the political and legal processes to change or amend the 1987 Constitution.





Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez vowed for the immediate ratification of the Constitution after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Duterte. The big question is timing.

“I will call a virtual meeting of committee possibly within the first two weeks of our session to tackle proposals of 1,489 town mayors and other pending measures, “said Rodriguez last July 21. It is his mandate as chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.





Are we going to blame the government for that? Why is there a need for change now? Would it change the length of the term of office of the President? Such questions play in people's minds.

The big problem is the economic situation in the Philippines and the rest of the world. What we need to tackle is a rising number of contaminated COVIDs. The DOH said they were flattening the curve. Is the curve flattening or fattening?





Meanwhile, House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano questioned the timeliness of the amendment on Monday, July 20, but Rodriguez said that the Municipal Mayors are seeking the institutionalization of the Supreme Court decision on the internal revenue distribution of local government units and the removal of limits on foreign investment currently limited to the Philippines. Who wants to be an investor? The Republic of China?

The Mandanas rule broadens the scope for IRA computing to include not only collections from the Office of Internal Revenue but also customs duties levied by the Bureau of Customs. That includes excise duty on tobacco products and franchise taxes. Did we hear it right? The government said that some foreigners invested in ABS-CBN which is why it was shutdown. Now, they are planning to sell the franchise to foreigners. What the heck is happening in the administration of our country?

We all know that Mandanas' decision is not only the matter of reform in the charter but the prospect of re-electing the President in 2022. So if that happens, he 's going to be immunized again by the countless accusations being thrown at him. No one will file a lawsuit with the Chief Executive as long as he or she is in control. If a jury for the prosecution has been brought. Nonetheless, the government is working alone, and no one should dare to suspect him of any criminal offense.

It is pointless to press for a constitutional amendment because we are in the midst of a crisis. Our government will concentrate more on the growing number of cases of COVID infection. It is not our priority today to even think about term extensions.

Obviously, the process of charter reform is well underway. Yet we must note that the updating of the Constitution requires a wider constitutional reform initiative. Yes, as Filipinos, we need to be more alert and not just passive watchers of the things that are going on around us.