President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomes Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN secretary-general’s special advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila on May 22. Marcos has proposed changes to the constitution to boost foreign investment in the country. (Photo: AFP)
Church officials in the Philippines addressed a prayer rally on a Manila street, asking people to oppose the government's move to amend the Catholic-majority nation's constitution.
“Let us express our opposition to the charter change,” said Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, president of the social arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Some 3,000 people from various parishes in Manila and nearby areas joined the May 22 prayer rally, which a Church official said was a “powerful display of unity” against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s plan to change the constitution, known as charter change in the archipelago.
“Prioritize needs of Filipinos” instead of proposing amendments to the country’s 1987 constitution, demanded Bagaforo at the rally in Manila.
“This march is not just a protest. It is a prayerful plea to the leaders to prioritize people’s needs,” said Bagaforo, president of Caritas Philippines, during the rally outside the Senate building.
The younger Marcos, elected President in 2022, has proposed changes to the country’s constitution, purportedly to boost foreign investment in one of Asia's fastest-growing economies.
The president said the current constitution “was not written for a globalized world.”
In March this year, the House of Representatives (lower house) approved a bill to lift the curbs in the constitution on foreign ownership of educational institutions, the advertising sector, and public utilities.
The Senate (upper house) is against the move and has proposed a bill to oppose the changes.
Both houses are scheduled to adjourn on May 25 and gather again on July 22.
The Church has asked all parishes to launch prayer activities and novenas dedicated to Mother of Perpetual Help to “enlighten lawmakers” during this period.
Bagaforo told the media during the rally that the government should educate people about issues related to the current constitution.
The country’s constitution limits foreign ownership across industries with a cap of no more than 40 percent. The constitution also forbids foreign equity in mass media.
Lawmakers have passed several laws to lift the curbs, but their constitutionality is a subject of debate.
Many people fear that the charter change will try to change the presidential term limits, allowing Marcos Jr. to continue in power.
Currently, presidents are limited to one term of six years in the 112 million country.
The protesters at the rally asked the government to improve issues related to human rights, environmental protection, natural resources and wages.
“We believe in the power of collective action to bring about a positive change,” Bishop Bagaforo said at the rally.
A Christian youth group lauded the Church for its solid stand against charter change.
The Church is helping people to “spread the Good News,” said Kej Andres, chairperson of the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, in a statement on May 22.
Media reports also speak about some legislators' fear that the charter change will abolish the Senate and introduce a unicameral parliamentary form of government.
The newly-elected Senate president Francis Escudero is among the lawmakers who oppose the charter change.
In January, the bishops' conference urged the government to move cautiously on the charter change.
In March this year, an independent Pulse Asia survey said 88 percent of Filipinos were against the charter change.
