Jamaine Punzalan

Alfredo Abueg, a member of the consultative commission to propose the revision of the 1987 Constitution, reads a primer charter change in Manila, Sept. 28, 2005.  Jay Directo, AFP/File

Article (news)

PHILIPPINES-CONTITUTION

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17549056521861754905649913.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Alfredo Abueg, a member of the consultative commission to propose the revision of the 1987 Constitution, reads a primer charter change in Manila, Sept. 28, 2005.  Jay Directo, AFP/File</span></span></span>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The Senate Leadership is eyeing changes to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes following Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III&#x27;s openness to charter change.</div><p>Villanueva explained that while nothing is final, Senator Robin Padilla could give up that panel in favor of taking the Committee on Ethics, paving the way for Senator Francis Pangilinan to chair the panel again. </p><p>&quot;Ang latest, we&#x27;ve been talking about it, especially in the light of the statements made by the minority leader, if I&#x27;m not mistaken, that he is entertaining the idea of supporting charter change. So, in fairness to Senator Robin, he is open to that idea, even Senator Kiko. So, we&#x27;re talking and nothing is final until we decide on it as an institution,” Villanueva said.</p><p>Sotto expressed openness to revising the 1987 Constitution should the Supreme Court junk with finality Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s impeachment.</p><p>Senate President Francis Escudero earlier in the day called out Sotto for supposedly backing the initiatives of Speaker Martin Romualdez and the House of Representatives.</p><p>&quot;Easy lang po kinampihan na nga po ninyo ang impeachment ng HOR at ni Speaker Martin maski sabi ng SC UNCONSTITUTIONAL… ngayon naman po kinakampihan na din nyo ang ChaCha ng HOR at ni Speaker Romualdez!?!? #thesenateisnotyourplayground&quot; Escudero said in a tweet.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/11/-senate-s-not-your-playground-escudero-calls-out-sotto-for-backing-house-pursuits-1226">Escudero calls out Sotto for &#x27;backing&#x27; House pursuits</a></div><p>Sought for reaction, Sotto told reporters, &quot;What I said was, if the SC ruling stands as is and the Constitution is amended by merely a SC decision, then I will consider supporting a Constituent Assembly or a Constitutional Convention to rewrite Article XI of the Constitution because the requirements written in the SC decision is impossible to meet.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Wala akong kinakampihan tulad nila. Ang kinakampihan ko ay ang Constitution,&quot; Sotto added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/08/24/charter-change-through-peoples-initiative-what-is-it">Charter change through People&#x27;s Initiative: What is it?</a></div><p>Villanueva however cites the onset of the intramurals for the 2028 elections as a complication.</p><p>He explained that they are always open to charter change, but it doesn&#x27;t mean they think it&#x27;s time to discuss it, or that it is being done properly.</p><p>&quot;I think yung word na open has been there for quite a long time and the important thing is we discuss it and that the majority would have a free hand on expressing themselves and their positions,&quot; Villanueva said. </p><p>&quot;As far as I am concerned, I am only one voice in the Senate, one of the 24, and para sa atin, yung usapin ng charter change, laging tamang oras, tamang panahon, at tamang paraan. At yun lang yung dapat kong pag-isipan, lagi yung tatlo na yun, whether or not we&#x27;ll entertain that idea,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Ang hirap lang, because at this point in time, 2028 is around the corner. So, anything you do right now with the charter change, hindi mo na maaalis yung pag-iisip ng taong bayan na ito&#x27;y konektado sa 2028 elections,” he added.</p><p>Previous charter change attempts were hounded by allegations that the government was out to perpetrate itself in power.</p><p>Meantime, Villanueva said the leadership has asked senators to identify their top 3 priority bills and asked the chairpersons concerned to expedite the measures if there is no controversy and the bills were approved on third reading in the previous Congress.</p><p>Villanueva said one senator he declined to name listed charter change as a priority.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION AT LOWER HOUSE</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, in the Lower House, Deputy Speaker and National Unity Party Chairman Ronaldo Puno has proposed a Constitutional Convention to amend the 1987 Constitution</p><p>In a privilege speech before the House plenary on Monday, Puno said the ConCon is &quot;the most prudent, transparent and participatory mechanism&quot; to address vague provisions and institute much-needed reforms in the charter.  </p><p>&quot;It allows the people, through their chosen delegates, to correct textual deficiencies, reconcile contradictions, remove ambiguities, institutionalize much-needed reform, and ensure that the foundational law of the land meets the needs of a dynamic and democratic society,&quot; he said.</p><p>Last July, Ako Bicol Party List Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. filed Resolution of Both Houses No.1, which proposes to include in the Constitution’s definition of National Territory &quot;explicit references to the Exclusive Economic Zone, the Continental Shelf, and the West Philippine Sea&quot; and clarify &quot;the Philippines’ sovereign rights over these maritime zones in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other applicable international laws&quot;.</p><p>RBH 1 also proposes to insert the phrase &quot;unless otherwise provided by law&quot; in economic provisions seen as &quot;restrictive&quot;, to allow Congress flexibility to legislate economic measures without needing constitutional amendments. -- <strong>with a report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><strong></strong></div>

<p>The Senate Leadership is eyeing changes to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes following Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III's openness to charter change.</p>

The Senate Leadership is eyeing changes to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes following Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III's openness to charter change.

Senate eyes changes to charter change panel, but cha-cha not a priority

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Senate eyes changes to charter change panel, but cha-cha not a priority

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 11, 2025 05:47 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 11, 2025 07:08 PM PHT

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