Palace unfazed as ex-SC chief pushes for Cha-cha

Malacañang will not be pressured into supporting Charter change this year even though former Chief Justice Reynato Puno is pushing to amend the 1987 Constitution. At a press briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is firm in his stand that there is no urgent need to amend the Constitution. "We’ve already said that it is not a priority," she said. "The President has always been consistent in saying that nobody has been able to present an argument to prove that there really is urgency in changing the Constitution and that, again, not doing so would place the country at risk." Valte said the Palace is not reconsidering its position even though Puno has said the Aquino presidency provides a "perfect time" to review and change some provisions in the 1987 Constitution. Aquino is known to have high respect for Puno, and had even asked the former chief justice to head the Department of Justice under his administration. Puno turned down the offer and instead recommended former Commission on Human Rights chair Leila de Lima to head the DOJ. On Tuesday, Puno said it is the best time to amend the Constitution because Aquino cannot be accused with having "any ill motive." "The President is enjoying a very high trust rating, and he himself has seen some of these difficulties in his first six months in office. I’d like to think that we can address these difficulties by amending some of the provisions in the Constitution," Puno said. In a speech he delivered after receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree by the University of the Philippines College of Law, Puno enumerated some provisions of the 1987 Constitution that he thinks need to be reviewed, which include the provision for the country’s presidential and representative system of government. The former chief justice also proposed to give the judiciary complete financial independence and to depoliticize appointments to the SC. However, Valte maintained that the government does not see an urgent need to start or support moves to change the Charter this year. “The President has already acknowledged even before that the Constitution is an imperfect document and meron po talagang mga bagay na mukhang kailangan pag-isipan kung papano babaguhin, but again hindi lang naman po yun ang dapat nating consideration. Having acceded that it is an imperfect document, the consideration must not stop there," she said. Talks of amending the 1987 Constitution began once more after Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said over the weekend that now is the best time for Charter change debates because Aquino has vowed not to run for any elective post in 2016. Evardone was a former member of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Lakas-Kampi-CMD who has jumped to Aquino's Liberal Party. His call for Charter change debates was backed by Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong, both Arroyo allies in the House of Representatives. Arroyo, who is now the congressional representative of Pampanga's second district, is herself pushing for Charter change and her first House resolution seeks the amendment of the Charter through a constitutional convention. Arroyo's allies in the 14th Congress attempted to amend the 1987 Constitution through various legislation — giving rise to allegations that she wanted to change the Charter to enable herself to remain in power—but they were not successful. Malacañang has previously said Charter change is not a priority for this year. No Charter change measure is set to be tackled during the Legislative- Executive Development Advisory Council meeting at the end of the month where the executive and legislative branches will determine priority legislation. Both chambers of Congress have also indicated that Charter change will not be a priority in their legislative agenda. The 1987 Constitution was crafted under the administration of Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, following the two-decade rule of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. - KBK/VVP, GMANews.TV