According to Vice-President Sara Duterte, House Speaker Martin Romualdez is still bent on revising the 1987 Constitution to shift to a parliamentary system of government and then maneuver his way to be voted by the first elected parliament as the Prime Minister. This certainly sounds like a crazy conspiracy theory, but considering recent events, one begins to wonder…is it really?
First, the Speaker claims that he still has no plan to run for president in 2028. Nonetheless, pre-election presidential surveys have not been kind to him. If the election was held now, he has absolutely no chance of winning. And if pundits are to be believed, his numbers will unlikely improve. So, if indeed he has lofty political ambitions as alleged by the Vice-President, then the route to being Prime Minister would be the viable option for him, if not the only option.
Second, the current budget includes pork-barrel type of appropriations like Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP). AKAP is by itself already objectionable, and potentially unconstitutional. But in the context of charter change, it seems to be a way to carve a path towards a constituent assembly. With members of Congress beholden to the Speaker, revising the 1987 Constitution via this mode is certainly a possibility. Former President Rodrigo Duterte was in this exact position in 2018, but did not pull the trigger (no pun intended).
Note that under AKAP, the House of Representatives gets 26 billion pesos or 83 million per congressman. Whereas the Senate gets 5 billion or 203 million per senator. While President Bongbong Marcos asserts that the executive branch will be solely responsible for the implementation of AKAP, in reality, members of Congress will likely insert themselves in one way or another. In an election year, this will be a campaign leverage that will benefit incumbents. Newcomers will then have their chance in the next budget.
It is really hard not to suspect that AKAP is all about building a war chest for a colossal political battle, like charter change. The presumption here, of course, is that the Speaker will get super majority support in the House of Representatives after the May elections. This is the only way he can move the lower chamber to produce a draft parliamentary constitution to transmit to the Senate.
And if he and his first cousin in Malacañang sweeten the pot for the ever-growing number of dynastic politicians in the Senate, this institution’s usual resolve to oppose charter change can weaken. Now the Vice-President’s seemingly crazy conspiracy theory becomes more plausible. And note as well that she was once part of the inner circle of the grand alliance of political dynasties that won the 2022 presidential election.
Obviously, the scenario painted here is purely speculative. It may not be as ludicrous as a conspiracy theory, but it is certainly a possibility that is worth preparing for. Remember the 1973 Constitution that gave rise to a 20-year constitutional dictatorship. The same political dynasty is once again being linked to charter change and accused of manipulating the process to serve their selfish political ambitions.
Therefore, it only makes sense for Filipinos to be ready this time around against any machinations from the powers-that-be to hijack the constitutional reform process. For now, the best way to prepare is to be thoroughly educated about the parliamentary system of government. Fortunately, this government structure is being applied now in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The BARMM is the ongoing parliamentary experiment that Filipinos must observe closely. The various moving parts of this new government structure must be intently studied to determine whether this is indeed suitable for the country. And if it is, then when would be the best time and under what conditions should the change be undertaken. Shifting to a parliamentary system of government is a radical transformation that must not be taken lightly.
It is not an overreaction to be mindful about the fact that shifting to a parliamentary system could be on the ballot too. Voters could be electing members of the House of Representatives and 12 Senators who will overhaul the country’s 37-year-old constitutional order once Congress opens. Hence, every congressional candidate needs to be challenged on this matter during the campaign period. Media should compel every one of them to express their clear and unequivocal stand on this issue.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M is a law lecturer, policy analyst and constitutionalist.)
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