Charter Change

Sen. Bam: Patay ang Cha-Cha kung walang suporta ng Senado

Sen. Bam Aquino insisted that any attempt by the House of Representatives to revise the 1987 Constitution without the Senate’s participation is unconstitutional. 

 “Anumang hakbang na gawin ng Kamara para baguhin ang Saligang Batas na hindi kasama ang Senado ay unconstitutional,” Sen. Bam asserted during the hearing of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments on the draft federal charter submitted by the consultative committee. 

Sen. Bam’s view was supported by several members of the consultative committee, including its chairman, retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, retired Associate Justice Eduardo Nachura and former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel. 

 “I expressed my personal opinion that the voting should be done separately by both Houses of Congress and I gave my reasons for that opinion,” said Puno, adding that he based his opinion on historical reasons and coherent reading of the different provisions of the 1987 Constitution.  

“It cannot be done na sila lang,” said Pimentel, referring to the House of Representatives.  

Nachura, for his part, said that he wrote a book about Constitutional law, where he stated that voting should be done separately. Other members of the consultative committee — professors Julio Teehankee and Edmund Tayao – also supported the views of their senior colleagues. 

Sen. Bam Aquino also stood firm on his stand against the postponement of the 2019 elections.  

“Ang eleksyon ay haligi ng demokrasya. Kapag binuwag mo pa ang haliging iyon, baka gumuho ang demokrasya natin,” said Sen. Bam.

“A number of us have already said that we are not in favor of postponing the elections,” Sen. Bam added, referring to his colleagues in the Senate.

Sen. Bam: Be vigilant of Cha-cha moves, protect right to vote

Senator Bam Aquino urged the public to be vigilant about the government’s Charter change move, stressing that it could deprive people of the right to choose their next leaders.

“Nangangamba ako na dahil sa Charter change na isinusulong ng pamahalaang ito, mawawala ang kapangyarihan ng mamamayan na pumili at magdesisyon,” said Sen. Bam.

“Boto na nga lang ang natitirang boses ng ilang Pilipinong hindi napakikinggan ng gobyerno, ipagkakait pa ito sa kanila” added Sen. Bam.

 According to Sen. Bam, the Filipino people will be at the losing end if the administration insists on postponing the 2019 elections.

 “Agrabyado talaga ang sambayanan kapag hindi itutuloy ang eleksyon sa isang taon dahil mapagkakaitan ng boses sa pagpapasya ang mga kababayan natin,” Sen. Bam pointed out.

“Huwag naman po sanang tanggalan ng karapatan ang taumbayan na pumili at bumoto ng mga lider natin,” the senator added.

 Sen. Bam assured the public that the opposition will keep a close watch on the government’s effort to change the 1987 Constitution to ensure that the Filipino people’s interest will be protected.

“Kailangan po nating bantayan na interes ng taumbayan ang mamayani sa gitna ng planong Cha-Cha. Hindi natin hahayaang maagrabyado ang taumbayan sa isinusulong na ito ng gobyerno,” added Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam challenges Congress to pass anti-political dynasty law before any Cha-cha talks

Senator Bam Aquino has filed a measure seeking to prohibit political dynasties in the country, stressing that the passage of an anti-dynasty law is a necessary precursor to any moves to amend the 1987 Constitution.

 “Kailangan nating ipasa ang anti-political dynasty law nang mabilisan, lalo na ngayong may banta ng Cha-Cha at pinipilit ang Pederalismo,” said Sen. Bam, author of Senate Bill No. 1688.

“I call on Congress to pass the Anti-Political Dynasty Act before any moves towards Federalism,” Sen. Bam added.

Sen. Bam said that no less than the 1987 Constitution itself prohibits political dynasties, but there is a need for an implementing law to enforce it.

 “There are already 6 anti-political dynasty bills filed and we have the Constitution on our side. I am confident we will have the votes to pass an anti-political dynasty law in the Senate,” Sen. Bam affirmed.

If passed into law, Senate Bill No. 1688 will prohibit the spouse, or any person related within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity to an incumbent elective official seeking re-election from holding or running for any elective office in the same province in the same election.

 If the incumbent elective official is a national one, the aforementioned relatives shall be disqualified from running only within the same province where the former is registered voter.

If none of the candidates are related to an incumbent elective official but are related to one another within the said prohibited degree, they and their spouses, shall be disqualified from holding or running for any local elective office within the same province in the same election.

 In all cases, no person within the prohibited civil degree of relationship to the incumbent official shall immediately succeed to the position of the latter.

 Sen. Bam hopes an anti-political dynasty law will give the Filipino people a greater variety of candidates to vote for, with new names, faces, platforms and solutions for the country.

 “We must encourage and empower more excellent Filipinos with a passion for service, to run for office and change the Philippine government from within,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam: Senate will not be pressured by lower chamber

As an independent institution, Sen. Bam Aquino declared that the Senate will not succumb to the pressure from the House of Representatives, which plans to hold a Constituent Assembly as mode to amend the 1987 Constitution even without the Upper Chamber’s participation.
 
“We will not be pressured by the Lower Chamber. The Senate believes that this is a critical reform that must go through the right process,” said Sen. Bam.
 
“Dadaan kami sa naaayon na proseso at panahon na bumabagay sa kahalagahan pagbabago sa Saligang Batas,,” assured Sen. Bam.
 
Earlier, the House approved Resolution No. 9, which seeks to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly that will introduce changes in the Charter.
 
The House wants to submit a new federal charter for a referendum simultaneously with the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this May.
 
However, Sen. Bam said the Senate will not give in to the House’s timetable, saying a process as important as Charter change should go through the right process.
 
Sen. Bam added that the Senate will make sure that there will be a massive information dissemination to educate the public about Charter change and allow them to participate in discussions, debates and crafting of the necessary amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
 
“Tungkulin namin na ang anumang prosesong pagdadaanan ay para sa taumbayan at hindi lamang para sa mga politiko” Sen. Bam pointed out.
 
In Wednesday’s Senate hearing on proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution, Sen. Bam emphasized the need for trust-building measures, including the passage of an anti-dynasty law, before amending the Charter.

Sen. Bam on House’s plan to continue with Con-Ass even without Senate’s participation

Nagkakaisa ang Senado na hindi kami magpapa-pressure sa timetable ng House of Representatives.

Dadaan kami sa naaayon na proseso at panahon na bumabagay sa kahalagahan ng gagawing proseso ng pagbabago sa Saligang Batas.

 Higit sa lahat, sisiguraduhin namin na naiintindihan at kasapi ang taumbayan sa mga usapin, debate at desisyon.

 Tungkulin namin na ang anumang prosesong pagdadaanan ay para sa taumbayan at hindi lamang para sa mga politiko.

Sen. Bam: Build trust before Cha-cha, pass anti-dynasty law

Senator Bam Aquino insisted that without the trust in the process and the people behind it, no Charter change will be accepted by the public.
 
“Kailangan ng tiwala ng taumbayan sa proseso at tiwala sa nagsasagawa ng proseso. How do we make sure na para ito sa tao at hindi para sa pulitiko,” Sen. Bam said during the Senate hearing on proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution.
 
As part of the confidence-building measure in the process, Sen. Bam suggested that an anti-dynasty law be first enacted ahead of moves to amend the 1987 Constitution.
 
“Intensified political dynasties, even warlordism in some areas might be a drawback of a federal form of government,” said Sen. Bam, emphasizing that passing an anti-dynasty law would enhance the public’s trust in the shift.
 
Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno agreed to Sen. Bam’s pronouncement, saying the existence of political dynasties is one problem that needs to be addressed by those pushing for federalism.
 
“As it is now, these political dynasties already possess so much power. If you go to federalism, you will not only be giving them so much power, but you will be giving them sovereign powers, and that is a no-no,” said Puno.
 
Earlier, Sen. Bam objected to the House’s move to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly.
 
Sen. Bam issued the statement after the House approved Resolution No. 9, which seeks to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly that will introduce changes in the Charter.
 
The Senator believes that a process as important as a Constitutional Change cannot be rushed and proposed that if ever a change will be done, a Constitutional Convention process would be more acceptable to the people than a Constituent Assembly composed of politicians.

Sen. Bam on Charter Change, plans to abolish OVP

Proteksiyon laban sa diktaturya ang karapatan ng Pilipinong maghalal ng Bise Presidente mula sa iba, kahit pa kalabang partido ng Pangulo. 
 
Ang diwa ng ating demokrasya ay nakalantad sa mga checks and balances tulad nito sa ating Konstitusyon.
 
Sa pagtalakay natin sa Charter Change, kailangang tiyakin na ang mga proteksiyong ito ay mananatili o hihigitan pa, ngayon na mas kailangan natin ito.

Secure Competition Policy First, Cha-Cha Later – Sen. Bam

Pass the Fair Competition Act first before changing the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Senator Bam Aquino made this pronouncement, emphasizing that a competition law will provide Filipino businesses with the needed protection if economic provisions of the Charter are relaxed.

“We need to pass the competition law first. If you’re opening up the economic provisions of the Constitution at wala kang competition policy, then we’re opening up a lot of uncertainty,” Aquino said in a television interview.

“You’re opening up the gate pero hindi mo alam na ang papasok diyan will act fairly with the rest of the people in the house,” added Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.

The senator stressed that amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution is needed to entice foreign direct investments and push the country to the next level of development.

Aquino recently sponsored Senate Bill No. 2282 or the Fair Competition Act of 2014. Senate Bill No. 2282 is a consolidation of several measures, including Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 1027 or the Philippine Fair Competition Act of 2013.

Aquino said the passage of the Fair Competition Act is long overdue because the Philippines is one of the few remaining countries without a competition policy that will protect consumers and businesses, whether big or small.

 Aside from this, the passage of a strong competition policy is crucial with the 2015 ASEAN Economic Integration fast approaching.

 

Transcript of Sen. Bam Aquino’s Interview at Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel

On Constitutional Change/Entry on Foreign Ownership on Businesses

A. To be frank, I don’t think we need to change the Constitution. We can actually get the investments even without changing the Constitution. Changing the Constitution is too large an endeavor to do in 2014 right before 2016.

That will probably mean the next president will be the one tackling changes to the Constitution. Alam ko po si Speaker Belmonte is very adamant about it but in the Senate, there’s really not much movement in terms of any constitutional changes.

I don’t think we’ll have that in the next two to three years. Probably the next president will undergo that if that’s the priority of the next president.

In the meantime, if you’re waiting for that before you move, it’s a moving target. We really have to do the reforms that can be done currently within our constitution.

Get the investments in.  In other countries, they have even stricter but they were able to get the investments.

It’s a matter of balancing your incentives, the investments you want to get in the country in the next two to three years.

 

On government Relying Too Much on OFWs Remittances

A. Remittances are big part of our economy and in fact, malaking bagay po siya. We have to thank our OFWs for that.

But the drive to go from consumption to production goes through increasing jobs and supporting enterprise kaya iyon po ang aking pinaka-focus. Kailangan po ng mas may production dito.

That’s why DTI is moving to revitalize our manufacturing sector.

Ang ating BPO industry is trying to go beyond voice and go into other services that it can provide. Definitely, there is a push for jobs and enterprise here and that will actually balance our dependency on remittances.

If you look at our portfolio and the things that we have pushed for, our Microfinance bill, our Go Negosyo bill, our Youth Entrepreneurship bill, lahat ng mga tinutulak natin, it all leads to that.

To try to have a stronger economy here that is more equitable, recognizing our growth and at the same time, making sure this growth reaches the poorest Filipinos.

 

On Controversies Hounding Senate

A. Well ang trabaho ng senador o kongresista ay gumawa ng polisiya at batas para sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino.

Without PDAF, it really forces you to focus on legislative work. Iyan na ang nagiging focus namin but then again, just because wala ka nang PDAF, it doesn’t mean you cannot engage in programs.

May nagtanong sa akin noon, Senator, paano po ba ibabalik ang tiwala sa Senado ngayong bagsak na bagsak ang tiwala sa inyo?

No amount of words will get the people’s trust back.  It’s really your output and your work. Kapag nakikita na nagtatrabaho ka para sa kapakanan ng tao, maybe at some point babalik ang tiwala nila sa iyo.

We just committed to work hard and make sure na ang mga naipangako natin noong campaign ay gagawin natin.

 

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