Palace: Marcos open to ConCon to correct constitutional ambiguities

MERE INTRIGUES. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer lawyer Claire Castro holds a briefing in Malacañang, Manila on Monday (Feb. 24, 2025). She dismissed as “baseless” and an “intrigue” former president Rodrigo Duterte’s allegations that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is involved in selling the country’s gold reserves. (PNA photo by Darryl John Esguerra)

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will support the establishment of a constitutional convention (ConCon) if it seeks to correct ambiguities in the 1987 Constitution, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“Kung ito naman po ay ikagaganda at ikaliliwanag para hindi na mabutasan ang anumang probisyon dito sa Constitution, hindi naman po ito tututulan ng Pangulo (If this is to enhance and clarify so that no provision in the Constitution is violated, the President will not oppose it),” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.

This was after Deputy Speaker and National Unity Party chairperson Ronaldo Puno on Monday called for a ConCon to undertake a sweeping review of the Constitution to fix vague provisions and introduce much-needed reforms in the charter.

Puno said the proposal is not meant to discard the Constitution but to “complete and correct it,” stressing that ConCon ensures “singularity of purpose.”

Castro clarified that for now, Marcos and Malacañang have no firm stance on the proposal until full details on the proposal have been released.

She, nevertheless, acknowledged that some provisions in the 1987 charter are ambiguous, resulting in some instances wherein a person is favored.

“Sa mga ganyan ay malalaman din po natin kung ano po ang isinaad noon ng mga framers of the Constitution, nung (In such cases, we will also know what the framers of the Constitution stated in the) 1987 Constitution,” she said.

“May mga pagkakataon lamang po sigurong kahit maliwanag ang ibang mga definition or mga term ay minsan napapalabo para merong mapaboran (There are probably only instances when even clear definitions or terms are sometimes blurred to favor someone),” Castro added.

ConCon is one of the three methods to amend the Constitution, a scheme allowing delegates from each district that will be elected by the people to review and propose constitutional changes.

The two other methods to introduce revisions to the 1987 charter are a constituent assembly and a people’s initiative.