Alvarez proposes charter commission to make way for federalism

  CEBU CITY – House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has proposed to President Rodrigo Duterte the creation of a Constitutional Commission that will take charge in studying and making the draft on the proposed amendments for the Constitution to pave way for the federal system form of government. Alvarez said since the Congress will be preoccupied in preparing for the 2017 National Budget in the coming months, he has proposed this creation through an executive order. He said this in his speech before 300 Cebu officials who took their oath before the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). Alvarez said that this will be composed of 25 persons which will be appointed by the President. Alvarez said the commission may be comprised of experts on Constitutional Law. They may be retired justices and dean of law schools. He made mention of the names of retired justice Renato Puno and former Cebu City congressman Antonio Cuenco. Alvarez said that the commission may start working next month as soon as the executive order will be issued. In an interview with reporters after the oathtaking, Alvarez clarified that it was his wish that the commission will start by September but it would really depend with the President on how soon the Executive Order will be issued. He said that he is currently drafting the proposed order and will be submitting it to the President next week. He said if his time table will be followed, it will be by the first quarter next year that the Congress may convene in a Constituent Assembly. This will be the time that the commission will submit their output or the final draft of the Constitution with amendments. After study and scrutiny in Congress, Alvarez said they will come up with a final draft. By 2019 during the mid-term election, he said the final draft may be submitted to the public for ratification through a plebescite. Once it will be approved, Alvarez said the remaining three years of the Duterte administration will be the transition period. Alvarez was the guest speaker in the Basic Orientation Seminar of PDP-Laban. In his speech, he also said that they are pushing for the recruitment and membership of more individuals and officials down to the barangays to join the party as they will make use of it to disseminate information down to the grassroots level on what is the federal system of government. "This is the first mission sa campaign on federalism nga kinahanglan masabtan sa tao," Alvarez said. He explained that this is also their purpose on why they are reorganizing the political party by having two arms- the political arm and non-political arm. Aside from recruiting from the business sectors and private individuals, the non-political arm will at the same time bring services like jobs, skills training, health services and housing program to help its members. Alvarez said they have one year to disseminate and make the people understand what is the federal system of government and how it differs to the present unitary-form of government. A specific requirement for new members of the Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in Central Visayas was emphasized by its head last night. Atty. Noel Felongco, president of the PDP-Laban in Central Visayas, said they do not want "drug lords, drug addicts and no involvements in corruption" as their members. "We are not after quantity but quality," he told reporters in an interview prior to the start of their Basic Orientation seminar at the Convention Hall of the Sacred Heart Center located along D. Jakosalem Street in Cebu City. So, those who took their oath last night are still probationary members. Felongco said that those who took their oath will still undergo a Basic Membership Seminar (BMS). Application forms were given out to those officials who were present. All these will still undergo screening. The invitation to last night's orientation, Felongco said, were arranged by the party's secretary general- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Apart from politicians, Felongco said that there are also non-politicians who are members as they do not only limit membership to politcians or incumbent public officials. There will also be a separate BMS for non-politicians scheduled on Sept. 10. The approval of all new members with PDP-Laban will be up to their national council, Felongco noted. At least 21 local government units were represented during last night's activity including the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Toledo, Cebu and the towns of Borbon, Balamban, Barili, Aloguinsan, Liloan, Asturias, Pinamungajan, Tabogon, Bantayan, Tabuelan, San Remigio Sta. Fe, Pilar, Medellin, Cordova, Consolacion, and Tuburan. Incumbent Cebu officials present were Provincial Board (PB) members Alex Binghay of the 3rd district and Jonkie Ouano of the 6th district. Among the mayors present were Luigi Quisumbing of Mandaue City, Christina Frasco of Liloan, Alan Adlawan of Asturias, Zigfred Duterte of Tabogon, Marlon Garcia of Barili, and Glen Baricuatro of Pinamungajan. The vice mayors present were Duke Frasco of Liloan and outgoing vice mayor Adelino Sitoy, who was recently appointed as Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs and at the same time as head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO). Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of the 4th district of Cebu said in an interview prior to the oathtaking that he does not need to take his oath since his political party- National Unity Party (NUP)- is in coalition with PDP-Laban. Over 300 people filled the hall which has a maximum capacity of 500 people.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