EIGHT of the 12 congressional representatives in Northern Mindanao have thrown their support to the controversial House Resolution (HR) 1109, which seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution via constituent assembly.

Those who signed the resolution are Reps. Vicente F. Belmonte, Jr., and Abdullah D. Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte; Rolando A. Uy of Cagayan de Oro City; Marina P. Clarete and Herminia M. Ramiro of Misamis Occidental; Yevgeny Vicente B. Emano of Misamis Oriental; Pedro P. Romualdo of Camiguin and Candido P. Pancrudo Jr., of Bukidnon.

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Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Bukidnon 2nd district Rep. Teofisto Guingona III are among the region’s most vocal opponents of HR 1109.

Although a member of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Rep. Jose Maria F. Zubiri III was not in the list of signatories, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he was in the opposing block, or had abstained when the measure was voted upon late Tuesday evening.

The seat of Misamis Oriental 1st district Rep. Danilo P. Lagbas, who succumbed to cancer last year, has not yet been filled up and is under the guardianship of House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Militants said a nationwide mass action--tentatively scheduled on June 10--is already in the offing.

Rudy Progella, chairperson of the Misamis Oriental Farmers' Association-Kilusan ng Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (Mofa-KMP), said the House move would further isolate President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the public.

"Public confidence on the Arroyo administration has already been eroded hilt; we expect this to worsen as protests all over the country will continue until she decides she could not take it any longer," Progella told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

Progella described HR 1109 supporters as “a bunch of money-hungry politicians who feared losing millions of pork barrel funds.”

For their part, Reps. Rodriguez and Guingona called on the public to join mass actions against a Senate-less amendment of the Constitution.

“I support any mass actions against Con-Ass. Let us all be very vigilant now because next week, the Lower House is set to convene itself into a Constituent Assembly,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said Thursday’s protest-rally in Cagayan de Oro "must not be the end."

Hundreds of students, teachers, Catholic lay leaders, and people from the civil society organizations lighted candles early Thursday evening in protest of HR 1109 which was “hastily” passed on Tuesday night.

Rep. Guingona described the Arroyo administration-led move to convene the Lower House into a Constituent Assembly without the participation of the Senate as a “sham.”

“The Arroyo administration has no credibility whatsoever. The conditions stated in House Resolution 1109, such as that the term of office of the incumbent President shall not be extended, among others, are sham and deceiving. They are made with the intent to mislead the people,” said Guingona, the deputy minority leader of the Lower House.

“Mrs. Arroyo has been in power for almost nine years already -- almost half of the Marcos rule. Mrs. Arroyo has treacherously and deviously destroyed many of our democratic institutions and has removed the faith of the people in these institutions,” he added.