Kiko replaces Robin as Senate constitutional amendments panel chairperson
Senator Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan on Tuesday formally replaced Senator Robin Padilla as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada approved the motion made by Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito in the plenary to elect Pangilinan after no senator objected.
Pangilinan, a lawyer, had previously led the Senate panel on constitutional amendments, which is responsible for all matters of proposing amendments to the Constitution of the Philippines and the revision of existing codes.
"I accept this responsibility with humility and a firm resolve to safeguard the democratic ideals enshrined in our Constitution," Pangilinan said.
"The Constitution belongs to the people, and any move to change it must be anchored on their aspirations and welfare. It must also undergo a thorough, principled, and participatory process," he added.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Monday raised the possibility that Padilla would yield the chairmanship of the constitutional amendments committee to Pangilinan, admitting that being a lawyer was part of the considerations on who should lead the panel.
Padilla earlier refiled a resolution seeking to revise the 1987 Constitution through a constitutional convention. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
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