Malacañang said it is not abandoning its option of consulting with the people on proposals to amend the Constitution, despite surveys showing the majority of President Aquino’s “bosses” are against any move to tinker with the 1987 Charter to lift existing term limits that bar Mr. Aquino from running for reelection.
This, even as Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, in a speech before lawyers belonging to the Philippine Bar Association, confirmed that senators will pass a resolution on Charter change, but limited only to economic provisions to lure more investors.
“We respect the congressional process on amending the economic provisions, but the President has not given an indication that he has changed his view on this issue,” Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. said, recalling the Aquino administration’s contention that investments have flowed in even under the present Constitution.
Initially seen as a futile exercise given Mr. Aquino’s earlier hesitation to tinker with the 1987 “Cory Charter,” Coloma, however, said this is why the President continuously monitored the sentiments of the people on vital issues.
Asked if the Pulse Asia survey showing 62 percent of respondents opposed Charter amendments and a second term for President Aquino should convince the President to abandon options for seeking reelection, Coloma said Mr. Aquino would continue to feel the pulse of the people.
“Consider the views the President has shared on many occasion, including his interaction with many of you here, when he said the people’s sentiment is important, that they are heard and understood,” Coloma told reporters. “Isn’t it the duty of the President to address the concerns and sentiment of his constituents?”