Noynoy unfazed by Arroyo proposal to change Charter

Who's afraid of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Charter change bill? Certainly not President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. In an ambush interview on Friday, Aquino did not express alarm over the measure filed by Mrs. Arroyo, now Pampanga representative, which is seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constitutional convention. Aquino pointed out that he himself promised during the campaign that he will form a commission to determine the necessity of amending the 1987 Constitution, which was drafted and approved through a plebiscite during the administration of his mother, the late former President Corazon Aquino. "Ako inannounce ko naman, suriin natin kung may pangangailangan na palitan natin [ang] Saligang Batas dahil di biro ang palitan ang Saligang Batas. Merong negative consequences guaranteed in the short term. Kailangan patunayan mo that the gains are better than the risks," Aquino said after the change of command ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo. (I announced before that we need to analyze whether we need to change the Constitution, because changing the Charter is no joke.) "Di ba meron tayong itatatag na commission, susuriin [kung] kailangan ba. Kung kailangan ng taong bayan, aba'y sinusuportahan ang pagbabagong to," he said. (We will establish a commission that will examine whether this is necessary. If the public needs it, we will support the change.) However, Aquino said the formation of the commission is currently not among his priorities, as he is still working on establishing the Truth Commission and working on the Philippines’ fiscal situation. Truth Commission The Truth Commission is an independent body to be created by Aquino to investigate corruption controversies, particularly those during the Arroyo administration. It will be headed by former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., although the parameters of the commission's powers have yet to be finalized and formalized. "Inuuna ko po yung Truth Commission, sana bigyan tayo ng onting oras dahil andami talagang kailangang gawin, sabay-sabay at yung first priority has to be I think reviewing the fiscal situation of the country," Aquino said. (I'm prioritizing the Truth Commission, I hope we'll be given a little more time because there's so many that needs to be done.) Arroyo's allies in the 14th Congress attempted to amend the 1987 Constitution through various legislation — giving rise to speculations that she wants to change the Charter to enable herself to remain in power — but these measures did not prosper. — RJAB Jr./RSJ, GMANews.TV