Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte Monday said that amending the Constitution is “not a priority” of the young Aquino government.

The President’s earlier campaign promise to form a commission that would study proposed amendments to the Constitution has also been shelved due to other urgent priorities, Valte said.

“Nobody has presented an argument that would make Cha-cha urgent so much so it will place the country at risk if the Constitution is not changed. It is not a priority at this time,” Valte said in a Palace press briefing.

She said the President has been “consistent” in his stand that there must be a reason to validate the urgency of Charter change before endorsing it.

Aquino acknowledged though that changing the Charter has guaranteed negative consequences in the short term.

Asked if the Palace will urge its congressional allies to abandon plans to include Charter change in the legislative agenda this year, Valte said: “We will have to see it first. For this particular issue, the President has been consistent in his stand. Now it has come up again, the President has no comment on the matter.”

Sought for an update on the planned creation of a commission that would study the need for Charter change, Valte said: “From what I know, none yet, because we believe that there are more pressing concerns that should be addressed before this.”

She acknowledged that several lawmakers have pushed for Charter amendments for various reasons in the past, but insisted that “it is not a priority for us” at present.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone has raised anew proposals to amend the Constitution, following the President’s decision not to seek any elective office after his tenure ends in 2016.

Evardone reportedly claimed that Aquino’s decision would make him the ideal leader to lead Charter change discussions since he won’t be suspected of benefiting from any amendments. His position on Charter change was reportedly supported by other members of the House of Representatives.

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had earlier filed a resolution proposing the convening of a Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) to amend the Constitution. The Charter change campaign was unsuccessful during her term due to speculations she was trying to prolong her stay in Malacañang.

Senators amenable

At the Senate, senators welcomed moves to amend Charter.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he is amenable to changing some economic provisions in the Charter as well as other government policies.

“You know, I am very open to Constitutional amendments. There are so many flaws in our Constitution that ought to be corrected. It’s also time that Congress revises some policies in the Charter,” Enrile said in an interview over radio DWIZ.

Enrile said Charter change should factor in on making investment activities in the country globally competitive and balanced for everyone to benefit.

“For example, the issue on ownership limitation, who is benefitting from that policy? Only the rich. And the ones having difficulty are Filipinos because most Filipino investors cannot support the need to provide more jobs for the people,” Enrile pointed out.

Sen. Francis Escudero also agreed but said he believes moves to amend the Constitution should be done in the first two years of President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.

“If at all, it can only be done in the first two years of this new government. (But) again, I urge pro-Cha-cha solons to specify and clarify which provisions they want amended and what exactly the proposed amendment is,” Escudero said in a text message.

Sen. Gringo Honasan said Charter change should be a result of an extensive meeting among the three branches of the government, the executive, legislative and the judiciary through the Legislative, Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) or Judicial Executive Legislative Advisory Council (JELAC).

House in no hurry

At the House of Representatives, the chamber leadership vowed to carefully scrutinize the “time-consuming and divisive” issue of Charter change as congressmen are divided on the issue.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. expressed reservation over the calls of his colleagues to breathe life into the Cha-cha, saying they have to carefully study the proposal first. He personally felt that the Cha-cha debates at the national level should not be revived this year.

“Not this year,” he said in a text message whether or not the time is ripe for the House of Representatives to tackle proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution.

In a separate interview, Belmonte said since Cha-cha is a “time-consuming” and “divisive” issue, the Lower Chamber has to carefully study and “to think deeper on it.”

Belmonte admitted that the President’s declaration that that he will not seek election to any government post in 2016 “seems to have signaled an interest in charter change.”

He said the President’s expression of disinterest for any electoral posts in 2010 is a “good thing” for Cha-cha because the people are more confident that the issue won’t be used as a political tool under his leadership.

He also noted that the constitutional amendments through Constituent Assembly won’t prosper because the people already distrusted such mode of constitutional change.

The House leader assured that the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments is flexing its muscles as a “standing” body to monitor and review the issue, particularly the provisions in the 1987 Constitution that have to be amended. “I think they’re doing it even before the statement of the President.”

Several lawmakers also agreed with Belmonte that the Cha-cha should be shelved since the nation has to deal with a lot of socio-economic challenges, including poverty and corruption.

Genalyn Kabiling, Manila Bulletin