THE Alpha Phi Beta fraternity in UP Diliman, now more than half a century old, takes pride in having former Chief Justice Reynato Puno as its present-day icon and inspiration. Like his brod Renato “Tato” Constantino, who opposed Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon on “partyless democracy,” Puno has challenged President Benigno Aquino 3rd on the issue of Charter change which PNoy thinks is low in priority.
Puno said (at the UP College of Law honoring him with a doctor of laws honoris causa): “I reject the argument that there is no urgency in amending the Constitution to arrest the decline of our democracy.” He declared the start of a new administration is the “perfect time” to amend the 1987 Constitution and heal a “democracy on a stretcher.” He described the Constitution as having “spawned a frail state, crippled by a weak electoral system, social inequalities and a politically vulnerable judiciary.” (PDI, 1/12/11).