Sotto: Cha-cha during Duterte's term 'almost impossible'

A Charter change during the remaining years of President Rodrigo Duterte's term is almost impossible, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Thursday.

"Pag Charter change ang pinag-usapan, napakasikip kaagad. Halos imposible. Baka amendments to the charter, baka one or two points kung aamyendahan, doon may pag-asa pa," Sotto said in an online interview.

"Pero pag sinabi mong Charter change, it's the entire Constitution that you are to replace. Hindi ganun kadali iyon," he added.

Sotto made the remark after Ako Bicol party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr. announced that the House is gearing up for Constitutional amendments on "restrictive" economic provisions.

Garbin emphasized that the hearings to be undertaken by the House committee on constitutional amendments will not touch political provisions like term extension for lawmakers.

On the heels of this development, Sotto refuted speculations that President Rodrigo Duterte wanted a cha-cha to gain term extension or defer the 2022 elections, saying that the latter actually wanted the party-list system amended

"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 said.

"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."

Sotto underscored that charter change is not synonymous to charter amendments which, he said, was the President's intent.

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.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, said it is a "sin" to talk about Cha-cha amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that if the goal of amending the Constitution is to address economic and health concerns, Congress should just revisit and update some economic laws like the 83-year-old Public Service Law and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act of 2000, he added.—AOL, GMA News