Rodriguez wants Christian Monsod, 49 experts as 'hybrid Concon' delegates

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments on Thursday, February 23, proposed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appoint several framers of the 1987 Constitution as delegates to the constitutional convention (Concon) being pushed to amend provisions in the charter.

Rodriguez proposed the appointment of Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) founder Christian Monsod and several other constitutional experts as Concon delegates on top of the 253 members who would be elected in every congressional district in the country.

Monsod, former chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), is one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution and one of the pioneers of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel).

Rodriguez said he wanted Monsod and other 1986 Constitutional Commission delegates to be part of the proposed Concon because of their knowledge and expertise.

He proposed that Marcos be allowed to appoint 50 Concon delegates upon the recommendation of Speaker Martin Romualdez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, based on a list of sectoral nominees.

According to Rodriguez, the presidential appointees would comprise constitutional experts and representatives of the academe, legal profession, economists, business, labor, farmers and fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, women, seniors, persons with disabilities, and the youth sectors, among others.

“We need to hear what Christian Monsod and other experts have to say,” he told local broadcaster Magnum Radio in a separate interview.

On Monday, February 20, Rodriguez’s committee voted 17-3 in favor of the Concon resolution which called for a “hybrid” Concon to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The resolution would require a two-thirds vote from both the Senate and the House of Representatives to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to, or revision of, the charter.

If plans push through, the election of Concon delegates would be held on October 30, 2023, simultaneously with the barangay and youth elections. – Rappler.com

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Herbie Gomez

Herbie Salvosa Gomez is coordinator of Rappler’s bureau in Mindanao, where he has practiced journalism for over three decades. He writes a column called “Pastilan,” after a familiar expression in Cagayan de Oro, tackling issues in the Southern Philippines.