Proposed Last Article

(Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution does not specify how much of it can be amended at one time. All of our efforts here hinges on this, because the three-point agenda of the CoRRECT Movement guarantees that substantial changes will be proposed. This is not one amendment we are contemplating here, but rather one very substantial amendment. About the only Article that will survive, I think, is Article III, The Bill of Rights. Be that as it may, we do not want to leave any possibility for this new constitution to suffer the same fate as previous Philippine constitutions. This proposed Last Article therefore specifies that only one provision may be amended at a time.)

Section 1. Any amendment to or revision of any Section in this Constitution may be proposed only one Section at a time, except this Section, which should survive any amendment.

Section 2. Any such amendment as specified in Section 1 may be proposed by
(1) The Parliament, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members; or
(2) A Constitutional Convention.

Section 3. Amendments to this Constitution as specified in Section 1 may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein. No amendment under this section shall be authorized within five years following the ratification of this Constitution nor oftener than once every five years thereafter.

The Parliament shall provide for the implementation of this Section.

Section 4. The Parliament 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 of calling such a convention.

Section 5. Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution under Section 1 and Section 2 hereof shall be valid when ratified by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite which shall be held not earlier than sixty days nor later than ninety days after the approval of such amendment or revision.

Any amendment under Section 1 and Section 3 hereof shall be valid when ratified by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite which shall be held not earlier than sixty days nor later than ninety days after the certification by the Supreme Court of the sufficiency of the petition.