The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments is set to vote today Wednesday the Constitutional amendments proposals presented by an Inter-agency Task Force formed by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.
“We will decide what recommendations of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reform we will include in our report to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and the plenary, House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the committee would deliberate on the recommendations of the inter-agency panel for constitutional amendments, which included:
- electing senators for each of the 17 would be regions,
- granting a five-year fixed term of office for local officials and House members,
- lifting restrictions on foreign ownership,
- anti-dynasty and turncoats provisions,
- creation of regional authorities,
- increased allocation for local government units, and
- state subsidies for political parties, among others.
He added that his committee is treating the task force’s recommendations as the administration’s proposals since President Duterte created the group.
He added that the group conducted nationwide consultations before submitting its recommendations to his committee.
The task force was chaired by Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año with Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra as vice-chairman. It is composed of nine agencies.
“We will decide which recommendations of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reform will make it to our report to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and the plenary,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said many of the group’s proposals are similar with the recommendations contained in his committee’s initial report which include electing senators by region, fixing a five-year term of office for local officials and House members, and lifting foreign ownership restrictions. (Rommel F. Lopez)