AMID TALKS OF AMENDING CONSTITUTION

Duterte wanted party-list system 'removed,' Sotto says

President Rodrigo Duterte does not want a term extension but rather an amendment to the party-list system under the 1987 Constitution, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Thursday amid speculations on why charter change deliberation is being revived in the lower chamber.

"Ang sinabi niya, 'I want this problem with the CPP-NPA solved... The best way is we remove the party-list system or change it in the Constitution. So we can call for a constituent assembly and amend that,'" Sotto told reporters in an online interview.

"Wala siyang sinasabing term limits, extension of terms, wala siyang sinasabing no election. Mainit na mainit siya doon sa CPP-NPA issue. Ang dating sa kaniya, some members of the House of Representatives, particularly the Makabayan bloc, ay symphatizers or connected with the CPP-NPA," he added.

"Something to the effect na it's better if we remove it from the Constitution... 'yun ang dating sa akin."

This meeting with the President, attended by some congressmen, senators, and high-level members of the Armed Forces, happened about two months ago, according to Sotto.

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said he was not privy to the details of that meeting.

“I was not in that meeting,” he said.

Aside from the party-list provision, Duterte also proposed amendments to some economic provisions.

The Senate leader said he is disclosing what they have discussed in the meeting to dispel speculations that the administration wants to open the Constitution in order to defer the upcoming 2022 elections.

After that, Sotto said he called for a meeting with the majority of the senators to discuss the matter.

"Bottomline, I do not have yet a concensus of whether the majority of the members of the Senate will be able to do it or not," he said, noting that some senators have an apprehension that other agenda may be pushed once the books had been opened.

Only charter amendments

Two administration allies—Senators Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino—filed a resolution in December asking both houses of Congress to convene as a constituent assembly for the purpose of amending the 1987 Constitution.

The amendments will be limited to the provisions on "democratic representation and the economic provisions" of the Constitution, the resolution read.

Sotto clarified that charter change is not synonymous to charter amendments.

"I doubt if charter change is possible. Hindi pupuwede, less than two years to go, charter change ang pag-uusapan mo?" he said.

He also offered an alternative way to achieve the amendments proposed by Duterte without touching the Constitution.

"I know the President already said that he is not too keen about it, pero sa akin, Plan A [is] amend na lang the [party-list] law, and if they want to go on with the economic provisions, we can amend it na parang batas and need not open a constituent assembly," Sotto said.

Nonetheless, the Senate leader said he lives by consensus.—with Virgil Lopez/AOL, GMA News