Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Third Regular Session

Introduced by:

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REP. MAXIMO B. DALOG

(Lone District, Mt. Province)

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RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A REFERENDUM

TO LET THE ELECTORATE DECIDE WHETHER
OR NOT TO CALL FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTS
TO, OR REVISION OF, THE 1987
CONSTITUTION.

WHEREAS, the Constitution provides that sovereignty resides in the

people and all government authority emanates from them (Sec. 1, Art. II,
Constitution);

WHEREAS, there are proposals from various sectors to amend or

revise the 1987 Constitution in order to cope up with the modern times;

WHEREAS, As early as 1997, the people through initiative had been

clamouring for an amendment of the Constitution particularly the provision on
term limit on the part of the President (2nd sentence, 1st paragraph, Section
4, Art. VII, Constitution) but was not allowed by the Supreme Court in the
case of MIRIAM DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO VS. COMELEC, G.R. No. 127325,
March 19, 1997, 270 SCRA 106) because it held that RA No. 6735 which was
enacted to implement said constitutional provision was incomplete,
inadequate, or wanting in essential terms insofar as initiative on
amendments to the Constitution is concerned;

WHEREAS, in the year 2006, no less than 6,327,952 of the registered

voters in the Philippines, signed a Petition to amend the Constitution in order
to change the form of government from presidential-bicameral to
parliamentary-unicameral but was not allowed by the Supreme Court as a
result of procedural defects in the petition itself (RAUL LAMBINO VS.
COMELEC, G.R No. 174153, October 25, 2006, 505 SCRA 160);

WHEREAS, there is likewise a clamor from the business sector to

amend some of the economic provisions of our Constitution which are
reasons why foreign investors are shying away from the Philippines thereby
greatly affecting our progress economically;

WHEREAS, in order to resolve the issue on whether or not to amend

or revise the Constitution, there is a need to consult the people directly by way
of referendum and let their sovereign will prevail;
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WHEREAS, Section 3, Art. XVIII of the 1987 Constitution provides that

The Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, call a
constitutional convention, or by a majority vote of all its members,
submit to the electorate the question calling such a convention;

RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives and the Senate voting

separately, that a National Referendum with the national Election on May 9,
2016 for the purpose of asking the electorate the following question:

DO YOU WANT THE 17th CONRESS TO, WITHIN 90

DAYS FROM THE OPENING OF ITS SESSION, CALL FOR A
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION THAT WILL BE
COMPOSED OF ELECTED AND APPOINTED DELEGATES
TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTSTO, OR REVISION OF, THE
1987 CONSTITUTION?

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Commission on Elections

(COMELEC) be directed to include the above question on the ballot for the
May 9, 2016 national elections;

RESOLVED FINALLY, that the funds necessary for the holding of the
referendum be included in the 2016 budget of the Commission on Elections
(COMELEC).