Speaker gives House panel free hand to discuss Cha-cha

11/23/2008

The House leadership has given the committee on constitutional amendments a free hand in its ongoing deliberations on proposals to amend the Constitution as long as it will be done in a transparent manner and will not disrupt the normal legislative work of the lower chamber.

“We have a committee on constitutional amend-ments not only in the House of Represen-tatives but also in the Senate, precisely to handle proposals pertaining to proposed amendments in the Constitution.

“As long as it does not interfere with our normal legislative work and will not disrupt our 4 p.m. sessions, (La Union Rep. Manuel) Ortega’s committee can go ahead in considering proposals on Charter change (Cha-cha), Speaker Prospero Nograles yesterday said.

Nograles, who authored House Resolution 737 which seeks to amend Article XII Sections 2 and 3 of the 1987 Consti-tution “to allow the acquisition by foreign corporations and associations and the transfer or con-veyance thereto, of alienable public and private lands,” also disputed persistent claims that extending President Arroyo’s term is one of the agenda in the ongoing Charter change deliberations.

Former Speaker Jose de Venecia, however said that the Cha-cha express plans to have the Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) that will extend the term of President Arroyo to be in by December.

But Nograles pointed out that there is no single proposal now pending in the Ortega committee that calls for the term extension of any incumbent official.

“There will be an election in 2010. There is no proposal to extend the term of anyone,” the Speaker said during the weekly “Kapihan sa Sulo” forum in Quezon City.

If and when there will be a Cha-cha before 2010, Nograles stressed the law prohibits the framers from benefiting from any of the recom-mended amendments.

“As far as the Speaker is concerned, the main concept of the proposed Cha-cha in the House is to in the House is to correct the economic provisions that tend to restrict the entry of more investments in the country especially in the face of projected slowdown on the country’s economy due to the global economic firestorm,” he added.

If there will be revisions on the political provisions of the Constitution, the Speaker said, “it will not be on term extension, but on the possible shift to federalism.”

“It is important to note that the federalism initiative came from the Senate through Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a respected Mindanaoan and a prominent member of the political opposition. We may just pick from where Senator Pimentel started,” Nograles stressed.

“In fact, the talks on Cha-cha were revived when Senator Pimentel filed his resolution on federalism,” he added.

But when reminded that a new form of government, whether a parliamentary unicameral or parliamentary federal, would negate the previous term limit set on the elected officials thus giving them the benefit to run again, the Speaker could only say it would be a different ballgame.

“Yes, even President Arroyo could run again as a member of the parliament but she cannot be sure if she could win and if the members of the parliament would vote for her as the Prime Minister,” was all the Speaker could say failing to refute the allegation the new Charter, if approved, this would benefit all framers, even the President herself.

Sen. Richard Gordon, for his part, maintained that the new attempt at Cha-cha is only doomed to fail.

“It’s like punching the moon,” Gordon said referring to the Cha-cha.

“All attempts at Cha-cha, ever since the time of former President (Fidel) Ramos, are flawed since they have been intended to benefit the incumbent.”

“And surely, the Senate would reject this,” he added, saying the Cha-cha proposal or even the proposal calling for a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) would fail the required three-fourth votes in the upper chamber.

“Con-ass proponents should be reminded that the Constitution calls for a three-fourth votes of al the members of Congress to amend the Charter,” the senator said. “And since we have a bicameral legislative body, we should be voting separately. And I can assure you, they cannot get the support from at least 16 senators.”

Former Sen. Francisco Tatad agreed with Gordon that the two chambers should vote separately.

“There is no specific instruction in the 1987 Constitution that Congress should vote separately. And since we have a bicameral Congress, it follows that they should vote separately on constitutional amendments the way they vote on any legislative measure,” he added.

Gordon said the move to amend the Constitution is ill-timed when the countries all over the world are experiencing a financial crisis.

“Ironically, Cha-cha will only divide our nation at a time when we have to unite to address this economic crisis,” he added.

Meanwhile, the anti-Cha-cha group, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) assailed former classmates of Mrs. Arroyo for campaigning the revision of the 1987 Constitution to allow the Chief Executive to remain in power beyond 2010.

“They want Cha-cha because they want their classmate and friend President Arroyo to perpetuate herself to power beyond 2010. What kind of thinking is this? They are very pathetic,” Pamalakaya national chairman Fernando Hicap, in a statement, said.

“We strongly advice the President’s classmates to be objective enough and get real. The Filipino people don’t want their classmate’s Cha-cha and they want her to be out of Malacañang on or before 2010,” he added.

The President’s classmates at Assumption College led by Evelyn Kilayko, Marilou Varona, Bessie Buencamino and Menchu Geronimo called on the people to write their congressmen to support Cha-cha during the forum “Understanding Simple Constitutional Change” held at the Manila Polo Club over the weekend.

Also present during the forum sponsored by Mahal Ko Bayan Ko Foundation and the Concerned Women of the Philippines Jojo Zabarte, the President’s appointment secretary, and Honey Illusorio, also graduates of Assumption College.

Pamalakaya noted that the Mahal Ko Bayan Ko group headed by Kilayko is the same group that rushed to Malacañang for a midnight Mass against what they called the destabilizers that included former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and left-leaning groups that filed the fresh impeachment complaint against the President.

The militant group described the Kilayko group as Palace-backed organization engaged in the Cha-cha and vilification campaign against bishops and other critics of the President.

Pamalakaya said the Mahal Ko Bayan Ko group is working closely with another Palace created group known as Coalition Against Destabilization, whose officers and members joined the Kilayko group in the midnight Mass about two weeks ago in Malacañang to attack the fresh impeachment complaint filed against the President. Charlie V. Manalo and PNA

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