COMMISSION CREATED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL

AMENDMENTS
Manila, Nov. 28,1998 - The first concrete step towards amending the 1987
Constitution was announced yesterday by President Estrada, when he formed
a 19-member preparatory commission to study and recommend possible
amendments to the 1987 Constitution, citing the need to make it "attuned to
the heartbeat of the times."
In an Executive Order dated November 26, the President gave the
Preparatory Commission on Constitutional Reform from Jan. 1 to June 30,
1999 to study defects in the Charter and recommend changes to cure them.
While the commission was given a free hand to set the rules of its
proceedings, it was directed by the President "to conduct consultations with
the Filipino people regarding its mandate."
Mr. Estrada also allotted P3 million for its operational expenses to be sourced
from the funds of the Office of the President.
"The Constitution, as the organic instrument to which fundamental powers of
government are established, delimited and defined to be truly reflective of the
ideals and aspirations of the Filipino people, should be attuned to the
heartbeat of the times," he said in his executive order.
The commission shall consist of not more than 25 members to be appointed
by the President, all of them equipped with the knowledge and recognized
competence on the structures and powers of government.
President Estrada will appoint the chairperson of the commission who shall
preside over its meetings, conferences and other proceedings.
Its members shall be composed of, among others, three retired members of
the Supreme Court; a representative from the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP); the respective chair of the Senate and House Committees
on Constitutional Amendments;
Four representatives from the academe; two representatives from the
religious sector; and one representative each from the business, women,
youth, media, labor and agricultural sectors, and local government units
(LGUs).
Each member shall be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and a qualified
voter of recognized probity, independence, nationalism and patriotism.
It shall also have a secretariat headed by an Executive Director appointed by
the President.

Earlier, the President assured the people all Charter changes will take effect
only after his term ends in 2004 even as he categorically declared that he will
never seek reelection.
The President said he does not intend to lift his term limit so he can cling to
power, citing bitter lessons learned from the experiences of overstaying rulers
in the region.
He said he will not favor any term extension for the President because the
experiences of the Philippines and its neighbors have shown that this can be
very harmful. Allowing rulers to stay in power for 10-15 years has led to bad
governance, Mr. Estrada said.
As early as May, the President made public his intent to create a commission
to introduce constitutional reforms, which he wants to be chaired by retired
Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Muoz-Palma, who headed the Constitutional
Commission that drafted the 1987 Charter.
The President said he wants the commission to take up, among others,
allowing foreign ownership of lands to further improve the business climate
and the election of senators by region to spell equal representation and cut
down poll expenses.