House Speaker Alvarez confirms draft exec. order on Constitutional Commission on Federalism

House of Representatives (Malacanang stock photo)

DUMAGUETE CITY—House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has confirmed that he has already submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte a draft of the executive order creating the Constitutional Commission on Federalism for it to start crafting a new form of government.

Alvarez said Thursday that while Congress is busy deliberating the 2017 national budget, work can already start for the Constitutional Commission, which will be created by the President through an executive order.

He said that if the President issues the executive order this month, including the appointment of members to the Commission, by October it can already start their respective work for a period of six months, in time for the completion of the budget deliberations.

Alvarez said Congress can already constitute into a constituent assembly and deliberate on the draft of the revised Constitution, which is being prepared by the Constitutional Commission.

Alvarez was in Dumaguete City Thursday for the federalism consultative forum for officials and other constituents of Negros Oriental.