Drilon says Cha-cha won't succeed without PNoy's support

Although the chief executive's approval is not needed to amend the 1987 Constitution, Senator Franklin Drilon on Thursday admitted that present Charter change (Cha-cha) moves will not prosper without President Benigno Aquino III's support. "We do realize that without the political support of the President [Cha-cha] will not succeed," Drilon said during a weekly forum at the Senate on Thursday. Last week, Senate and House leaders agreed to deliberate and vote separately on Cha-cha. President Aquino, however, immediately stated his opposition to it. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, for his part, said senators will proceed with the process to amend the Charter because they do not need the President's approval anyway. However, Drilon said he just hoped Aquino has not "closed his mind" on Cha-cha, especially at the "best time" to do so. "He (Aquino) is not interested in re-election, does not intend to stay one day longer than June 30, 2016," Drilon said. "If he supports this [Cha-cha], we can have it before his term is over," he added. According to Drilon, senators plan to convince the President by presenting the pros and cons of Charter change through public debates and presentations. He noted, however, that they will stick to only amending economic provisions of the Charter. "I will oppose any proposal to amend the political provisions in the Constitution," he said. — LBG, GMA News