21 December 2005
People’s initiative eyed as alternative move
A PARALLEL move will be conducted nationwide in conjunction with the holding of aConstituent Assembly by both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the purpose of amending the 1987 Constitution and pave the way for a historic shift from presidential to parliamentary form of government with a unicameral legislature.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. said this is the launching of the “ people’s initiative” by late December or the first or second week of January which is expected to discuss the proposed amendments to the Constitution as proposed by the Constitutional Commission, a work also expected of the yet to be convened constituent assembly.
De Venecia told newsmen Monday before enplaning back to Manila after a three-day speaking engagement in Pangasinan that the people’s initiative is a parallel act by he people themselves, which is the equivalent of the constituent assembly on the part of the Senate and the House.
He said the people’s initiative will be launched by governors, vice governors, board members, mayors, vice mayors and their councilors all over the Philippines with the support of all major political parties while the Constituent Assembly is formed by the Senate and the House .
The draft of the Constitution submitted by the ConCom last Thursday to President Arroyo will be turned over by her to Senate President Franklin Drilon and him ( de Venecia) as Speaker of the House so that the constituent assembly of the Senate and the House can act on the recommendation, he explained.
De Venecia recalled that almost 10 days ago the House already approved a concurrent resolution calling for the convening of the constituent assembly to approve the amendments to 1987 Constitution.
He said that if the Senate does not approve the resolution, the Filipino people themselves will initiate the move to amend the constitution through the people’s initiative.
It is the people’s initiative, he said, where the amendments to the Constitution as proposed by the ConCom would be presented.
At least 12 per cent of all the voters in the Philippines, or at least three per cent in any congressional district, is needed to endorse the amendments in writing, according to him.
The Speaker stressed that even if the Senate will not approve the resolution calling for the holding of Constituent Assembly, “we will handle ourselves repeatedly in order to get the Senators to act on our proposal”.
He added that another “remedy” is to ask the President to call a joint special session of the House and the Senate so that their members can debate on the proposed amendments to the Constitution, the outputs of which will be presented to the people in a nationwide plebiscite in April or May.
He said that two months after the approval of the proposed amendments which is either in January or February, a nationwide plebiscite would be held. Fifty per cent of all the voters is needed to declare the adoption of the first parliamentary government in Philippine history.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. said this is the launching of the “ people’s initiative” by late December or the first or second week of January which is expected to discuss the proposed amendments to the Constitution as proposed by the Constitutional Commission, a work also expected of the yet to be convened constituent assembly.
De Venecia told newsmen Monday before enplaning back to Manila after a three-day speaking engagement in Pangasinan that the people’s initiative is a parallel act by he people themselves, which is the equivalent of the constituent assembly on the part of the Senate and the House.
He said the people’s initiative will be launched by governors, vice governors, board members, mayors, vice mayors and their councilors all over the Philippines with the support of all major political parties while the Constituent Assembly is formed by the Senate and the House .
The draft of the Constitution submitted by the ConCom last Thursday to President Arroyo will be turned over by her to Senate President Franklin Drilon and him ( de Venecia) as Speaker of the House so that the constituent assembly of the Senate and the House can act on the recommendation, he explained.
De Venecia recalled that almost 10 days ago the House already approved a concurrent resolution calling for the convening of the constituent assembly to approve the amendments to 1987 Constitution.
He said that if the Senate does not approve the resolution, the Filipino people themselves will initiate the move to amend the constitution through the people’s initiative.
It is the people’s initiative, he said, where the amendments to the Constitution as proposed by the ConCom would be presented.
At least 12 per cent of all the voters in the Philippines, or at least three per cent in any congressional district, is needed to endorse the amendments in writing, according to him.
The Speaker stressed that even if the Senate will not approve the resolution calling for the holding of Constituent Assembly, “we will handle ourselves repeatedly in order to get the Senators to act on our proposal”.
He added that another “remedy” is to ask the President to call a joint special session of the House and the Senate so that their members can debate on the proposed amendments to the Constitution, the outputs of which will be presented to the people in a nationwide plebiscite in April or May.
He said that two months after the approval of the proposed amendments which is either in January or February, a nationwide plebiscite would be held. Fifty per cent of all the voters is needed to declare the adoption of the first parliamentary government in Philippine history.
