President Duterte remains firm on his intention to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution to attain peace in Mindanao.
Duterte, in a speech in North Cotabato Friday, reiterated that only federalism can resolve the peace problems in Mindanao after regrettably stating that peace with the rebels cannot be attained in this generation.
“Remember, I told you right at the beginning of the campaign that there will be no peace in Mindanao ‘pag hindi ninyo ibigay ang federalism. Sabihin ko sa inyo, it will eventually break our country,” he said.
Duterte criticized some members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission who vowed to block any attempt to change the Charter.
“Kaya kayo ayaw niyong baliktarin, ayaw niyong palitan ang Constitution, fine!” he said, reiterating that there won’t be peace until amendments in the Constitution are made.
He said former Constitutional Commissioners retired Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., lawyer Christian Monsod, and human rights advocate Edmund Garcia for seemingly making their work was “more than its weight of gold.”
“Trabaho nila ‘yon eh. Iyon ‘yung commission na inilagay ni Cory after the EDSA revolution, ‘yang Constitution na trabaho nila. They think it is more than its weight of gold,” he said.
Davide, Monsod, and Garcia had said the Constitution is not the problem but rather the failure of the government to fully implement it. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
