Palace: Marcos won't oppose Cha-cha meant to fix loopholes in constitution

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will not oppose calls to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constitutional convention (Con-con), provided that it will close loopholes in its provisions, according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro.

''Actually po sa mga ganiyan ay malalaman din naman po natin kung ano po ang isinaad noon ng mga framers of the 1987 Constitution. May mga pagkakataon lamang po siguro kahit maliwanag ang ibang mga definition or mga terms ay minsan napapalabo para mayroong mapaboran. At sa ngayon po ay hindi pa po masasabi ng Palasyo at ng Pangulo kung ano ang magiging reaksiyon dahil hindi pa naman po nakikita ang detalye ng gagawin patungkol po dito,'' Castro said on Tuesday's briefing.

(Through that, we will also know what the framers of the 1987 Constitution had stated. Sometimes the definition or terms were not clear. At present, we can't say yet what the reaction of the President as we have yet to see the details of the proposal.)

''So, kung ito naman po ay ikagaganda at ikaliliwanag para hindi na mabutasan ang anumang mga provision dito sa Constitution ay hindi naman po ito tututulan ng Pangulo,'' she added.

(If this will help in closing the loopholes in the provisions of the Constitution, the President will not object to this.) 

Castro's statement came after Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno of Antipolo City has called for a constitutional convention to revise the 1987 Constitution, which he said contained certain provisions "marked by ambiguity and procedural deficiency."

In a privileged speech on Monday, Puno said a Con-con was the “most prudent, transparent and participatory mechanism” for Charter change.

Under a Con-con, the electorate elects delegates who will propose amendments, which will be subject to ratification in a plebiscite.

Puno cited this as among the provisions, which are supposedly vague:

Article 11, Section 3.4 on the Accountability of Public Officials which states that “In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House,  the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed” with the meaning of the word forthwith which he said was repeatedly delayed, sidestepped, or redefined by the Senate after more than one-third of the House impeached and sent the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President last February 5. –NB, GMA Integrated News