The Road to Change: The Perspectives of Academicians on Charter Change in the Philippines

Abstract

The ongoing campaign to modify the current 1987 Philippine Constitution is part of being a democratic society. Resisting such an endeavor, if supported by a logical public consensus-building process, is also an important component of democracy. As a democratic country, the Philippines fits ideally into this constitutional reform setting. As such, this paper will examine the perspectives of Filipino academicians in addressing the growing pursuit of constitutional change to assist people in making better decisions and ideas for contemporary societal concerns. Using purposive sampling, in-depth interviews were conducted with the selected Filipino academicians. The interview elicited participants' perspectives on the growing concerns about the charter change in the Philippines, considering the timeliness, scope of changes, complicated legal procedure, and impact on the economy, politics, and Filipino people. Furthermore, it investigates if the implementation is necessary in the current circumstances. According to the data, most Filipino academicians oppose the present constitutional amendments since the government's goals are unclear. As suggested, there must be clear rules and intents that the charter change aims to solve, as this cannot be accomplished alone through a constitutional amendment, ordinary legislation, or executive action. The government must establish definitive rules and give the Filipinos the exceptional political leadership that all citizens deserve.