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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Visayas guvs hatch plan to create new republic
If President Arroyo survives and stays, the least she can do is support a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution, different party leaders said.
But if she is illegally kicked out of office, her allies south of the capital pledged to form the “Visayas Republic.”
“With our rich resources, we in the Visayas can stand on our own, but this is a long shot,” said Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, who heads the League of Provinces of the Philippines and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap).
No matter how slim the odds, the governors of 16 provinces in the Visayas, including Palawan, agreed to discuss the proposal during their socio-economic and political summit tomorrow at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.
“If President Arroyo will be toppled by a mob rule or by extra-constitutional and extra-legal means, we will create the Visayas Republic. Kay kon naa’y kaguliyang sa Manila, ma-apektahan ta tanan. Di ta gusto ug samok, gusto ta’g hapsay (Chaos in Manila hurts us all. We want an end to disorder),” Aumen-tado said in a radio dyLA interview yesterday.
Except for Northern Samar Gov. Raul Daza, who expressed reservations on the collective statement of support for Arroyo, 15 other governors already signed a manifesto for the creation of the republic.
“There was no leader. Everybody was just concerned. It happened on the spur of the moment,” said Oriental Negros Gov. George Arnaiz, who chairs the Central Visayas Regional Development Council.
However, they will have to hold a Visayas leaders’ summit to discuss the plan with district lawmakers, mayors and other local officials.
‘Diminished’
As governors of the provinces in Eastern, Central and Western Visayas agreed to discuss the secession, former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña welcomed such an activity because it will generate debate. The specifics on the form of government can be discussed later.
“It brings the issue of government down to the lowest level,” he said.
Osmeña wants a “diminished government,” both national and local, because there are “too many bureaucrats, too many layers and too much politics.” Manila should only do what local governments can’t, he added.
“We can’t have federal and state governments like the US, but duplication of functions is something we cannot afford,” Osmeña added.
Governors from the Visayas are confident the three regions have more than enough power supply, tourism destinations and agricultural products to keep the economy going, even if they sever ties with the rest of the country.
Arnaiz said their move is also in line with proposals to shift to a federal form of government.
Aumentado said the proposal is “conditional” and will be triggered only if President Arroyo is toppled by “mob rule.”
Speedy change
“The turmoil now being experienced may be a blessing. It gives us an opportunity for a speedy change in our system,” ex-governor Osmeña said in a press statement. “A curse if the central powers refuse to see the urgency of the need for change. If self-interest and greed will prevail, this time, a bloodbath may be inevitable.”
Still battling for survival, President Arroyo yesterday pledged major changes. She also appealed to critics to “listen to the law” and avoid extra-constitutional short cuts.
She pledged to study a recommendation by a group of leading political parties to shift to a parliamentary form of government, saying the political system “has degenerated to such an extent that it is very difficult to move within the system with hands totally untainted.”
Representatives of several political parties agreed to push for a constituent assembly during a political conference at the Manila Hotel yesterday.
House Speaker Jose de Venecia, who acted as conference chairman, said 17 of 20 political parties in the country were represented and agreed to effect changes in the Constitution that will pave the way for a shift from a presidential to parliamentary system.
Consensus
“We support the Constitution but we are for its immediate revision to make it more relevant to the times. We also call for the complete overhaul of the Commission on Elections so that its credibility will be beyond question,” de Venecia said.
He said they will endorse the start of a constitutional assembly a week after the House of Representatives resumes its session on July 25.
Among the parties that sent representatives to the conference were the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Laban ng Demokra-tikong Pilipino, Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Kampi, Partido ng Masang Pilipino and party-list groups.
De Venecia said the parties agreed on the proposal of Lakas member Surigao Rep. Miguel Zubiri to consult with the civil society, religious groups and other sectors of the society on what should be changed in the Constitution.
“So that this would be a national consensus,” de Venecia said.
Arroyo said she will “study the ideas contained in the manifesto, in the manner of a President listening to the pulse of the people.” (CYR/With AFP & Sunnex)
(July 13, 2005 issue)
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