The National Unity Party has called on the House of Representatives to hasten discussions on constitutional reform through a Constitutional Convention, citing long-standing ambiguities in the 1987 Constitution.
In separate letters sent Monday, NUP chairperson and Antipolo City 1st District Representative Ronaldo Puno urged House leaders to take concrete steps toward advancing the proposal.
In his letter to Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Puno encouraged early coordination with the Senate after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III expressed openness to dialogue on Charter change.
Puno also asked House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairperson Rufus Rodriguez to fast-track hearings on House Bill 5870, authored by NUP lawmakers.
The party said a recent Supreme Court ruling on impeachment highlighted constitutional gaps that have resulted in rigid and overly legalistic accountability processes.
“What was intended to be a clear constitutional mechanism to demand accountability from the highest officials of the land is now subject to an increasingly strict, rigid, and overly legalized process,” Puno said, noting that uncertainty over the term “forthwith” has broadened into wider confusion over the impeachment system.
The NUP clarified that its push is not connected to any particular case but to recurring constitutional questions that require judicial interpretation.
Puno stressed that HB 5870 seeks to clarify and reinforce the intent of the 1987 Constitution, not replace it.
“We believe that a Constitutional Convention is the most prudent, legitimate, and truly democratic mechanism for reform,” he said, adding that an elected convention would allow a more deliberate and inclusive review of constitutional issues.
The House committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on HB 5870 on March 11.