Constitutional reform in the Philippines

Constitutional reform in the Philippines, colloquially known as charter change (cha-cha),[1] refers to the political and legal processes needed to amend the current 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. Under the common interpretation of the Constitution, amendments can be proposed by one of three methods: a people's initiative, a constituent assembly or a constitutional convention.[2][3][4]

A fourth method, by both houses passing a joint concurrent resolution with a supermajority of at least 75%, has been proposed by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. who subsequently submitted to the House of Representatives "Resolution of Both Houses No. 1".[5] This "simple legislation as the means to amend" would only require approval by both Houses voting separately.[6] All proposed amendment methods must be ratified by a majority vote in a national referendum.[6]

While no amendment to the 1987 Constitution has succeeded, there have been several high-profile attempts since the Ramos administration. None reached the ratification by referendum stage.

  1. ^ Gavilan, Jodesz (January 16, 2018). "What You Need to Know about Charter Change". Rappler. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Article XVII of the Constitution of the Philippines (1987)
  3. ^ "A Torrent of Cha-cha Measures". Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  4. ^ Cabacungan, Gil C. (December 10, 2008). "Con-ass or Con-con? Arroyo Stand Sought". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Puno, Reynato S. (June 7, 2015). "How to Amend the 1987 Constitution". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PhilStarVillanueva was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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