Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. yesterday described as “destabilizing” moves to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Speaking to reporters, he cautioned President Rodrigo Duterte and some legislators regarding the ill effects of a shift from a unitary to a federal system of government.
“I’ve always stood against federalism. It is anti-poor. Under that kind of government, the Philippines will be splintered to various states. Two taxes have to be imposed: state tax and the federal tax. That would be hard for the people,” he said.
Davide dropped by the retirement house of Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal at the Sto. Niño Village in Cebu City yesterday morning to personally greet the country’s most senior cardinal. who celebrated his 86th birthday.
One of the framers of the 1986 Constitution, Davide said he is willing to die for what he believed is the best supreme law in the country.
“It is the only constitution in the whole world which is pro-God, pro-country, pro-people, pro-poor, pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage, pro-environment. I don’t think it is the appropriate time to amend it,” he said.
Davide, a native of Argao town, south Cebu, said only 25 percent of what were proposed in the 1986 Constitution has been accomplished thus far.
“We have to give the Constitution a longer life until the objectives, aspirations and the ideals of the Filipino people embodied therein shall be implemented,” he said.
He said moves to change the 1986 Constitution should be well-thought-of and should not in any way be implemented without further study and evaluation.
“We need to have a real knowledge on how a federal system goes. The BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law) could have been a model. There should be a model first before implementing it nationwide,” Davide said.
President Duterte and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez have vowed to prioritize the overhaul of the charter to allow a federal system of government, lift economic restrictions against foreign ownership and reimpose death penalty.
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