1.

2.)
Three Things to Expect Under a Duterte Presidency
1. Solid Rule Enforcement (Less Freedom)
The moment Pinoys step on foreign soil to begin their new life as an OFW in a first-world country, they start
behaving differently. They begin to follow every rule to the letter; they start to act courteously to all and not
cause any inconvenience to neighbors. They are cautious and conscious of the fact that they are being watched.
This is how it will feel under a pseudo-Martial law-like administration which will be enforced by Duterte.
Imagine not being able to smoke in public, drive like a madman, or light up your super-lolo firecracker on New
Years eve. Giving up some liberties in exchange for order and safety for the common good will be a hard pill
to swallow for many spoiled-brat Filipinos accustomed to Yellow pee-anywhere-you-want democracy. But this
is what you asked for right? Becoming a Singapore (clean, orderly, disciplined) has its price.
2. No-Nonsense Leadership and Public Service
Duterte will assemble what may be called the dream team to form his Cabinet with one simple
requirement: are you competent for the job? For a boss who will not settle for senseless excuses for goof-ups,
delays, or oppressive service/policies, ministers/officials/agency heads will be chosen and retained based on
the principles of meritocracy; they will be fired without consideration at the slightest hint of incompetence. For
a leader who values time by pressuring himself with a self-imposed deadline of half a year to deliver, he will
have zero tolerance for people who only serve to weigh him down on achieving his goal. He shows humility in
welcoming on board those who are of other parties as long as they are qualified. He will spare no expense in
getting the best on his team. Being on the Duterte Cabinet will be a more prized position than warming a seat
in the Senate.
3. A Reconfigured Philippines
Duterte is hell-bent on not just fixing but completely replacing the broken obsolete oligarchy-protecting 1987
Cory constitution that has kept the Philippines lagging behind the more dynamic agile tigers of Asia. He will
reconfigure the Philippines based on what he believes will finally give peace to his home in the South, and
give each region a fare share of the pie: a federal government. The biggest obstacle to his ultimate goal of
turning the country into his dream United States of the Philippines is bribe-thirsty oligarchy-backed
Congress itself. And even at this critical point in the race, he flatly tells us openly without hesitation or
apology what kind of bold move he is willing to do. Yup, he will simply close down Congress if these
lawmakers are in the way and declare a revolutionary government.
Trust me on Cha-cha
MANILA, Philippines - As doubts persist over the wisdom of Charter change and the motives of the
people behind it, President Duterte has appealed to the people to trust him to ensure the integrity of
the endeavor even as he warned lawmakers against messing with the Constitution.

Speaking with The STAR the other day at Malacaang, he said he has this message for Congress:
Dont f*** with the Constitution.

If they mess with Charter change, he said later, he would shut down Congress and have members
arrested.

The Senate and the House of Representatives are gearing up to convene as a constituent assembly
(con-ass) to work on changing the Constitution, in preparation for a shift to a federal form of
government.

Duterte has said he is also open to a constitutional commission or con-com where he will appoint the
delegates, but he said he would consult the Senate about it.

Some quarters have raised concerns a con-ass mode of changing the Constitution would enable
some lawmakers to fortify their hold on power and advance their vested interests. But Duterte said
this wont be possible under his watch.

So I need your trust, he told delegates of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting last
Wednesday at Malacaang.

At least, believe in me, I will be the last one to agree to anything there that would destroy our
country. And even in the aspect of money, he stressed.

The only reason I won is that I carried the right message. I have to stop corruption. Now Im telling
you, it will really be a clean government. For the nth time, Im telling you that, Duterte added.

Besides, we are all Filipinos. Why would I embrace principles that would do which are against our
country? Leave them, in the end, the outcome (of debates) will have to be submitted to us for a
plebiscite and for all the time that theyd be crafting a new Constitution, I am here, he said.

His appeal came on the heels of a Pulse Asia survey showing about 40 percent of Filipinos against
the administrations tinkering with the present Constitution.

In assuring the public, Duterte also stressed he has no ambition to prolong his stay in power.

Although he has no problem with constitutional convention as a mode of changing the Constitution,
the 71-year-old Duterte said a con-ass would be a better alternative as it is cheaper.

I have no further (political) ambition because I have reached, sagad na (the limit). As I have said,
if you can amend the Constitution and you can do it in three to four years and you can elect a new
president under a parliament like France, I will willingly give up the remaining years of my term and
go out. Walang drama, wala lahat. Magre-retire na ako (No drama, Ill just retire), he said.

He added his main concern is pursuing the interests of the people.

So do not be afraid of whatever method that they would use because your guarantee is ako (me). I
will never, never allow Sabihin ko talaga sila: Wag yan. Kasi pag pinilit ninyo yan, sasarahan ko
itong Congress. Huhulihin ko kayong lahat (Ill really tell them not that, if you insist Ill close Congress
and have you arrested), the President said.

But he pointed out the lawmakers are elected by the people and can be trusted.

We should not be too judgmental about the members of Congress. You can tell by the track records
that they have. They have been elected, reelected, took a break (from politics) then reelected again.
If you think about the acceptability of the people, who are we to judge that they are not competent?

In Legazpi City, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said only by overhauling the 1987 Constitution can the
government address the issues that hamper the push for a Philippine style federalism.

We need a total revision of our present Constitution so that we can design a federal form of
government suited for the needs of our people, Alvarez told reporters after swearing into the PDP-
Laban at least 500 elected local officials.

He emphasized any effort to revise the Constitution must involve the participation of every sector of
Philippine society.

We must create an independent body to be composed of people with unquestionable credibility

coming from the various sectors of our society. All sectors of society must be involved. It must be an
inclusive (group), Alvarez said

He also batted for a massive education drive about federalism and the need to change the
Constitution to achieve such end so that the people would have an informed decision when a
referendum on the matter is held.

He said a federal system must not only consider territory and population, but economic viability.

It is not fair if progressive towns and cities would be clustered together as a federal state and
neglect those poor areas, Alvarez pointed out.

Con-con redundant
At the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Rodolfo Farias said assembling a constitutional
convention for purposes of amending the 1987 Constitution is just like having a twin Congress,
which can be real costly as it would involve electing 200 representatives. There are currently 293
House members and 24 senators.

Holding a con-con election itself might even cost the government around P7 billion, he said.

Another House leader, Deputy Speaker Miro Quimbo of Marikina, agreed with Farias, saying he is
not inclined to support con-con as it would be a duplication of what Congress is today.

Farias described moves by members of the so-called House independent bloc inaction by
paralysis since amendments to the Charter can only be made by a two-thirds vote which they
themselves could not even muster.
The fastest way to do it is con-ass (constituent assembly), because we already comprise those
delegates. We are 293 congressmen here, we represent the whole country, he said.

He reassured the public that as legislators, all they can do is just to raise proposals either for
amendments or revisions to the 29-year-old Charter, adding members of the super majority coalition
are set to meet on Aug. 9 to resume deliberations on the issue.

Congress cannot amend or revise the Constitution. We cannot even change a comma or period
without the peoples approval. All we can do is to provide a proposal for your approval, he pointed
out.

We have to come up with something that will be acceptable to the people, Farias said.

He also raised the possibility of the House suspending its law-making function while deliberating on
Charter change.

We may have to stop the legislative mill. Why? Because we are already rewriting our Constitution.
We might as well stop legislation first. If we are talking about divorce, death penalty, then what if
these may all be excluded in the next Constitution? he asked.

He explained it may just be pointless to hold legislative sessions in the current 17th Congress while
there are discussions to change the fundamental law of the land.

So lets stop making laws. We have so many laws, and it wont kill us if we stop making new ones.
We can do it every other week legislative power, then constituent power, he said. Delon
Porcalla, Cet Dematera

- See more at: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/08/05/1610258/duterte-congress-dont-mess-

charter#sthash.FGidbThm.dpuf
MANILA, Philippines Did you know that for every change in the constitution in the
Philippines, the President released a proclamation to commemorate the date when the
new charter took effect? This day is called Constitution Day.

Of all the constitutional changes the country went through, it's only the 1943
Constitution which did not have a corresponding proclamation.

President Corazon C. Aquino, through Proclamation No. 211 of 1988, assigned

February 2 of each year as Constitution Day to mark the new 1987 Constitution.

How well do you know the supreme law of the land? We're listing down some vital
information concerning one of the country's most important legal documents.

The Philippines has had 6 constitutions

The 6 constitutions started with the country's independence in 1898:

The 1899 Malolos Constitution (1899-1901)

The 1935 Constitution (1935-1943)
The 1943 Constitution (1943-1945)
The 1945 Constitution (1945-1973)
The 1973 Constitution (1973-1986)
The 1987 Constitution (1987-present)

The 1973 Constitution, according to former Aquino spokesman Teodoro Locsin Jr, was
never ratified as the process conducted by then president Ferdinand Marcos Jr met
strong opposition.

The Aquino government had 3 options with regard to the law of the land:

To revert to the 1935 Constitution. But because Marcos abolished the

bicameral legislature they had to resort to general elections.
To retain the 1973 Constitution and be granted the power to make reforms.
This was shot down by Aquino as "she did not want to derive legitimacy
and power from the very institutions that she fought."
To start anew and break from the "vestiges of a disgraced dictatorship."