198 / 220
198
pontificia universidad católica de puerto rico
and through the subsequent approval of the constitution drafted and amended
by the peopleof Puerto Rico. The constitution of Puerto Rico establish a
republican, popularly elected government with significant authority over local
affairs, and since 1953,
the people of Puerto Rico have exercised significant
powers of self-government, as the Supreme Court has recognized, under
the commonwealth system, Puerto Rico currently exercises “a measure of
autonomy comparable to that possessed by the States”. Examining Bd. v.
Flores de Otero, 426 U.S. 572, 597 (1976).
When “commonwealth” is used to describe the substantial political autonomy
enjoyed by Puerto Rico, the term appropriately captures Puerto Rico’s special
relationship with the United States. The commonwealth system does not,
however, describe a legal status different from Puerto Rico’s constitutional
status as a “territory” subject to Congress’s plenary authority under the
Territory clause “to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations
respecting the Territory … belonging to the United States”. Congress may
continue the current commonwealth system indefinitely, but it necessarily
retains the constitutional authority to revise or revoke the powers of self-
government currently exercised by the government of Puerto Rico. Thus, while
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico enjoys significant political autonomy, it is
important to recognize that, as long as Puerto Rico remains a territory, its
system’s subject to revision by Congress
.
345
El Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos ha manteniendo la línea de
que Puerto Rico goza de igual soberanía interna que un estado y que el
Gobierno federal mantiene flexibilidad en cuanto a sus aportaciones
a la Isla no sujetas a la cláusula de uniformidad.
346
El aspecto más
controvertido en la relación actual es el reclamo de que la vinculación
pueda ser alterada unilateralmente por Estados Unidos. El término
compact
, incluido en la Ley 600 de 1950 y la Ley 447 de 1952, así como
su interpretación ofrecida en las Naciones Unidas por la delegación
estadounidense en 1953, son el continuo eje de un debate jurídico y
político. Es menester recordar que el concepto del
compact
, o convenio,
345
President Task Force on Puerto Rico Status
, December 2007, pp. 5-7.
346 Véanse:
Calero Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co
., 416 US 663 (1974);
Examining Board v. Flores de Otero
, 426
US 572(1976);
Harris v. Rosario
, 446 US 651 (1980); y
Rodríguez v. Popular Democratic Party
, 457 US 1 (1982).
Además, véanse: José Trías Monge, «El Estado Libre Asociado ante los tribunales 1952-1994»
,
64
Rev. Jur.
UPR
1, (1995); Salvador E. Casellas, «Commonwealth Status and the Federal Courts» 80
Rev. Jur. UPR
945,
(2011); y José Julián Álvarez,
Derecho Constitucional de Puerto Rico
,
supra
, pp. 442-515.