Sotto twits Alvarez: No enabling law for people’s initiative to amend 1987 Constitution
THE House of Representatives cannot use the people’s initiative option as a means of making changes in the constitution because no law has been passed yet by Congress that would allow such an exercise, Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters during the Kapihan sa Senado news forum, Sotto said that while the 1987 Constitution provided three ways to amend it, a law must be enacted first in order to implement the people’s initiative provision.
Article 17 (amendments of revision) of the Philippine Constitution states that “Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by Congress in a constituent assembly, constitutional convention (Con-con), or through [a]people’s initiative.
“I am not sure if some people are aware of the fact that we don’t have an enabling law for people’s initiative,” Sotto said.
The Senate chief’s remarks came after Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez pushed for the postponement of the 2019 midterm elections through a people’s initiative.
Alvarez has been claiming that people who support federalism can start a people’s initiative to amend the provision in the constitution that mandates an election every three years.
The speaker wants to postpone the elections in 2019 so that members of Congress have enough time to work on finalizing the proposed federal charter that would pave the way for a shift to federalism.
A number of senators both from the majority and minority blocs have branded the proposal as “self-serving.”
Most House members will be running for reelection in 2019 while some congressmen are on their last term, which means they are no longer eligible to seek another term.
“We need to pass enabling law,” Sotto said. JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA
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