Duterte says Filipinos used to voting leaders, bats for Cha-cha on econ provisions

Citing the Filipinos' custom of directly electing their leaders, President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday raised the possibility of Charter change being limited to economic provisions and a few others.

Duterte made the remarks in a speech in which he called on voters in areas included in the Bangsamoro Organic Law to vote for the BOL.

“Much as we would like to change anything there... we have been used to it. We are the people governed by elections. And we elect leaders. The leaders must be the choice of the people,” Duterte said in a speech in Cotabato City.

“I am sure that with the fundamentals provided by the law and hopefully if you can amend the Constitution, not all, but a few of the economic provisions and some,” he added.

Duterte's proposed shift from a unitary government to a federal system has yet to pass Congress despite amendments proposed by a consultative commission, chaired by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno and former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Pimentel is credited for authoring the country's Local Government Code and a known advocate of federalism.

Part of the platform of Pimentel and Duterte's party, PDP-Laban, is the shift to a federal system.

The House of Representatives in December passed on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses No. 15 which sought, among others, a shift to a federal form of government, the removal of the term limits for lawmakers and lifting of the anti-political dynasty provision in the 1987 Constitution.

“Well, I do not want to discuss it with you now because ‘yun na ang sunod natin and hindi na ninyo problema ‘yun. Yours would just really be to ask for the law that will further enhance the governance of the Bangsamoro law,” Duterte told his audience in Cotabato.

Duterte has said that he would quit his post as early as this year once the proposed federal charter is ratified by the public.

He has repeatedly said that the current unitary system of government has failed the most of Filipinos as the resources and influence were centralized.

Malacañang earlier said Duterte would campaign against the ratification of a proposed constitution that was "against the interest of the people” after the House draft disregarded some of the proposals of his consultative committee.

Following the approval, Puno said that the Con-Com decided not to endorse the bill due to its "deficiencies."

He said what the House crafted was "bogus federalism."

The Palace has since called on lawmakers to open the draft to amendments. —NB, GMA News