Senators on Monday expressed strong opposition to the government's move to gather signatures to change the Constitution amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Nancy Binay said government agencies pushing for federalism should rather engage in an aggressive information campaign about the coronavirus disease instead of focusing their budgets on gathering signatures for charter change.
According to the senator, with the public still clueless on what to expect and how to prepare as the country transitions from modified enhanced community quarantine of modified general community quarantine, and towards the new normal, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) have big shoes to fill when it comes to information campaign.
"On the part of the PCOO, we expect a massive multi-platform information campaign for the public to know the 'Dos and Donts' as we transition from ECQ to the new normal. Dapat merong aggressive effort to put into infomercials and readable printed formats ang lahat ng kaliit-liitang detalye ng safety and health protocols para naman alam at handa ang publiko to live and embrace the new norm," she said.
Binay added that the PCOO and the DILG should redirect their federalism roadshow budgets and instead prioritize public health interests in the light of a possible surge of the coronavirus infections under MECQ or GCQ.
"May krisis 'di ba? Bakit cha-cha ang inuuna? Matagal na po nating sinasabi na we are at a crucial point where communication is vital in confronting a state of public health emergency. Mag-step up naman sana ang PCOO at DILG in elevating the ante in risk communication.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Monday denied a report that it was collecting 2 million signatures in support of constitutional amendments as the country fought the COVID-19 pandemic.
A newspaper report over the weekend said the DILG has shifted its signature campaign online during the pandemic.
"That is fake news and I don’t want people to pay attention to that. That’s totally false and we have never done anything like that especially during this time of crisis," Año told ANC.
According to the PDI report, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, in a memorandum dated Jan. 28, said the collected signatures would be presented to Congress to show the support the agency has gathered for constitutional reform.
Malaya told PDI regional directors have been ordered to stop collecting signatures and "focus all attention on anti-COVID efforts."
Senators Franklin Drilon and Kiko Pangilinan told the DILG to focus on efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the country instead of moves to amend the Constitution, with the former saying it was a “total waste of time and resources.”
In December, members of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved four proposals to change the Constitution.
Moreover, Binay noted that the DILG has a hefty budget for their Balangayan CORE roadshows earmarked for 81 provinces to drum up support for federalism, adding that it would have been acceptable if the DILG used its budget to strengthen contact tracing capacities of LGUs instead of focusing on gathering two million signatures.
"The current Covid situation is not slowing down. By relaxing some restrictions, it's accelerating the infections in many factors. Focusing on charter change in the midst of a pandemic is excessive, unnecessary, and insensitive," she pointed out.
Binay said while the DILG is busy in gathering two million signatures for charter change, it mismatches the fact that only more than 200,000 Filipinos have been tested for Covid-19 since February.
Drilon also denounced the move, calling it "a total waste of time and resources."
"We are in the middle of a pandemic. The country is grappling to contain COVID-19 and deal with its aftermath. To talk about Cha-cha is the height of insensitivity," he stressed.
Drilon, the minority leader in the Senate, warned the DILG not to use COVID-19 activities to promote Cha-cha and advance their agenda.
"It will only create a distraction, division, and unnecessary noise," he said.
"The Congress and the executive branch should work together to pursue legislation that will help revive the economy and restore the jobs
temporarily and permanently lost due to the pandemic. That should be the focus, not Cha-cha," Drilon stressed.
Drilon said that all efforts should be geared toward addressing the crisis and paving the road to economic recovery.
He cited the widening budget deficit, inflation, unemployment, and rising poverty as among the urgent matters that the executive and the Congress should deal with.
"Our resources are depleting and the President said so. We have a long battle ahead with regard to dealing with this pandemic. All agencies should exercise prudence and wise judgment in the use of public funds, most especially in this most trying time in our history as a nation," he said.
Senator Francis Pangilinan seconded Drilon, saying Charter change should be "the least of our concerns today."
"We are hard-pressed to raise funds to address the huge damage caused by the pandemic on the economy. Addressing the impact of the pandemic both on the health of our citizens and the health of the economy should be our only focus at this point," he said.
Pangilinan said the effort is out of touch with current realities and is an insult to millions of our citizens who have lost their jobs, who are experiencing unprecedented hunger and who continue to be threatened by the spread of this incurable disease.
"Instead of using government money and personnel on collecting millions of signatures, the DILG should instead focus on mass testing and contact-tracing millions of our citizens both of which up until now remain to be undertaken in full two months after the law granting
Malacañang special powers to use billions of pesos to address the pandemic was passed," he said.