The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Tuesday discussed a proposal to adopt a federal system of government composed of five states, namely: Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Bangsamoro.
Under the proposed amendment to the 1987 Constitution, each state shall have exclusive power over state and local elections, public transportation and public utilities; and state socio-economic planning, finance, agriculture and fisheries, industrial development, mining, police and law and order, public works, and marriage, among others.
The proposal also changes the legislative system to a bicameral parliament to be composed of a 300-member federal assembly and a 15-member senate, with each state electing three senators.
Eighty percent of the members of the federal assembly shall be elected by plurality votes with each legislative district having one seat in the parliament.
The remaining 20 percent of the members of the assembly shall come from federal sectoral parties or organizations which shall be elected at large.
Committee chair Rep. Roger Mercado (Lone District, Southern Leyte) explained that the proposed charter amendments are the outputs from its sub-committees and are subject to further deliberation and approval by the House of Representatives and the Senate in a Constituent Assembly.
“The finalization and approval of these (proposed amendments) will be in our Constitutional Assembly, when we (House of Representatives and Senate) will be jointly convened; and the final approval in a plebiscite, hopefully, to be held in May this year,” Mercado said.
Mercado pointed out that the proposed Charter amendments are a product of consultations, public hearings, and review of the 1935, 1973 and 1987 Constitutions.
Mercado urged his colleagues to work together in ensuring that the new Charter to be submitted and adopted must be better than the present 1987 Constitution.
Rep. Corazon Malanyaon (1st District, Davao Oriental), chairperson of the sub-committee which reviewed Articles VI, VII and X of the 1987 Constitution, presented their output which includes the proposal to divide the country into five federal states.
Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (Party-list, SAGIP) suggested that the committee categorizes the proposed amendments into contentious, less contentious, and not contentious in order to expedite deliberations and finalization of the draft proposal.
House members also exchanged views on other issues, among which are the term limits for elected officials, adoption of a unicameral legislature, return to a two-party system, and reforms in the electoral system. / ABR
