By Gabriela Baron
Various women’s rights groups and advocates took to the streets on International Women’s Day to express their opposition to charter change.
This after the House of Representatives approved on second reading the accompanying bill of the Resolution of Both Houses, calling for a Constitutional Convention to pave the way for charter change (Cha-cha).
“Pasan-pasan ng kababaihan ang tumitinding krisis sa ekonomiya, na siyang nagiging dahilan upang ang sektor ay mas maging bulnerable sa karahasan at pang-aabuso,” Gabriela Women’s Party Secretary General KJ Catequista said.
“Ngunit imbis na magpasa ng mga batas hinggil sa pagtataas ng sahod at pagpapababa ng presyo ng bilihin, pilit na niraratsada ng gobyerno ang pagpapasa ng charter change,” Catequista added.
The proposed constitutional convention will make changes to economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Under the bill, members of the hybrid constitutional convention will both be elected and appointed on Oct. 30, simultaneous with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
For her part, Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas said that Cha-cha is “not the answer to the worsening state of Filipino women” in the country.
“Naninindigan ang malawak na hanay ng kababaihan na hindi Cha-cha ang sagot sa panawagan ng mamamayan tulad ng dagdag sahod, seguridad sa trabaho, at karapatang mag-organisa at mag-unyon,” Brosas said. -ag
