Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response

The House of Representatives and the Department of the Interior and Local Government are keen on beginning charter change discussions while the country is mitigating the effects of COVID-19. But what changes does the 1987 Constitution actually need? And how has the pandemic exacerbated key constitutional issues?

Join us for a Zoom (online meeting) entitled, Constitutional Performance Assessment in the Time of a Pandemic: The 1987 Constitution and the Philippines’ COVID-19 Response, on 6 August 2020 (Thursday), 3:00 PM (Philippine Time).

The webinar is free and open to the public, but online registration is required. Should you prefer an alternative viewing platform, the webinar will also be streamed live on the UP CIDS YouTube channel

About the Webinar

Early this year, the Constitutional Performance Assessment of the 1987 Philippine Constitution was launched. The Assessment concluded that most of the technical requirements of the Constitution have been met, but that there has not been substantial compliance in terms of meeting the broader external and internal goals of the Constitution, including democratization; decentralization; social justice, human rights, and gender equality; peace and conflict resolution; and economic development.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UP research team looked back on these findings and assessed how the pandemic has affected the performance of the 1987 Constitution. The new assessment also identifies areas and trends to watch out for as the Philippine government responds to COVID-19. The new assessment can be read and downloaded here.

In this webinar, the research team from UP will present the findings of the new assessment. The webinar also serves as an avenue to open discussions with attendees on how to keep the Constitution working during periods of emergencies and what needs to be changed or improved not only at the level of the Constitution but also in ordinary legislation and implementation.

About the Panelists

• Maria Ela L. Atienza, Ph.D. is Professor at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman and Co-Convenor of the UP CIDS Program on Social and Political Change. 
• Aries A. Arugay, Ph.D. is Professor at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman and Co-Convenor of the UP CIDS Strategic Studies Program. 
• Jean Encinas-Franco, Ph.D. is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman. 
• Jan Robert R. Go is Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman. 
• Rogelio Alicor L. Panao, Ph.D. is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, UP Diliman.University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).