CIDS Presents Position Paper on Constitutional Change, Natural Region Framework in Public Hearings

The Center for Integrative and Development Studies (CIDS) recently participated in public hearings for two committees at the Senate of the Philippines, namely the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes and the Committee on Local Government. The hearings, both held on February 22, 2017, saw the CIDS position paper on Constitutional Change and a preview of the study on the proposed Natural Region Framework.
Dr. Edna Co, Executive Director of CIDS, read the position paper of the Center on Constitutional Change and Amendments before Senator Franklin Drilon, Senator Leila de Lima, and Senator Ralph Recto, as well as other resource persons from the judiciary, academe, and political parties. The paper (which can be read below) identifies the concerns brought up in the debate on amending the Constitution and offers an alternative means toward resolving issues in the Consitution.
In the hearing organized by Committee on Local Government, Co shed light on the CIDS study on the Natural Region Framework, a type of development and governance planning based on the natural resources of the country’s regions. In attendance are Senator Sonny Angara, Senator Risa Hontiveros, and Senator JV Ejercito, while representatives from LGUs, NGOs, and academe, among others, also served as resource persons.
Read the CIDS Position Paper below: