House of Representatives Majority Leader Martin G. Romualdez and other members of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) on Monday night commemorated the 34th anniversary of the ratification of the 1987 Constitution by learning of the constitutional economic reforms being initiated by the chamber.
Philconsa is the oldest and most respectable association of legal luminaries in the country, which has been existing for almost 60 years.
Among the notable leaders of Philconsa are retired Court of Appeals Justice Manuel Lazaro as chairman, former Chief Justice Reynato Puno as President Emeritus, and other legal luminaries.
Lazaro delivered the Constitution Day Message and Rita Linda Jimeno, Philconsa vice president for constitutional reforms, moderated the open forum.
Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, was the guest of honor and speaker of the event and explained in detail the proposed amendments to the Constitution.
In his speech before Philconsa officials and members, Garbin underscored the importance to pursue amendments to the Constitution to make it more responsive to the changing times.
“A constitution, no matter how well-written, would ultimately need changes to adopt to the needs of the times. An attempt to change a provision in a constitution is not an attack against the constitution but merely giving life to one of its key provisions, one of its key characteristics, which is the ability to adapt to change,” Garbin told Philconsa members headed by Romualdez, president of the group.
Voting 62-3 with three abstentions, Garbin’s committee on Tuesday last week adopted a resolution filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco giving Congress the flexibility to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution to help the economy recover from COVID-19.
The panel approved Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 2 that seeks to insert the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to specific provisions of the Constitution, namely five amendments to Article XII (National Patrimony and Economy), one amendment to Article XIV (Education, Science, and Technology), and one amendment to Article XVI (General Provisions).
However, the committee excluded from the resolution the proposed amendment to Section 7 of Article XII referring to the ban on foreign ownership of land.
Apart from the procedural requirements prescribed in Article XVII of the present Constitution, Garbin said “there are no other limitations imposed on the subjects and extent of amendment.”
Garbin appealed to Philconsa to support the economic Charter change (Cha-cha being pushed by the House of Representatives which is scheduled for plenary deliberations.
“Some of those provisions affected are the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. 35 years from its enactment, our democracy and the rule of law is now strong and is in fact as vibrant as ever. Thus, as it appears, there is enough justification to put an end to the fears of the years past. It is humbly submitted that it is now time to look at our present situation, address current problems and look to the future to foster growth and development,” he added.
The Constitution Day celebration started with the opening remarks of Romualdez, a lawyer from the University of the Philippines (UP) and President of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD).
“Good evening, my friends! It is great to see once again the brilliant men and women of PHILCONSA gathered under one roof— though some are in their own virtual space— to mark our celebration of Constitution Day. I am elated that our event today is well-attended, thanks to our working secretariat who made sure that everyone is properly invited,” said Romualdez in his welcome remarks during the celebration of the Constitution Day via Zoom.
“It really feels nice to see all of you, all healthy and still in high spirits, despite the gloom brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am glad that you all made it, even as restrictions made it difficult for us to hold gatherings such as this one. Today’s event is auspicious as we are not merely celebrating the 34th anniversary of the 1987 Philippine Constitution,” he said.
“Each one of us will be privileged to get a front-row seat to a presentation of on-going efforts to amend the Constitution straight from the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments. Not only that, everyone interested will be given the opportunity to throw questions to the Chairman for elucidation of issues related to proposed amendments to the Constitution,” said Romualdez.
During the event, Philconsa also paid tribute to its members and colleagues who died in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic due to various reasons.
“It is a great honor to speak before you today, my friends in PHILCONSA, as we pay a tribute of love and respect to five of our colleagues who had left us to join our Creator. Truly, I consider myself privileged to lead this ceremony in memory of five great Filipinos who had served our country fully well till the last of their dying breath,” he said.
“For services rendered to the Filipino people, we thank these colleagues of ours — former Senator and Mayor Alfredo Lim; MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim; former Congressmen Romulo Lumauig of Ifugao and Mariano Tajon of Ilocos Norte; and feisty journalist Domini Torrevillas,” said Romualdez after a necrological mass presided by Fr. Robert Reyes.