Saturday, April 26, 2008 Justice chief welcomes revival of Charter change
JUSTICE Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. on Friday welcomed moves of some senators to revive talks on charter change, but warned against the "balkanization" of the republic into several states.
Gonzalez commended Joint Resolution No. 10 signed by Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. and 10 other senators, but said he will never agree to a provision that would transform the country into a federation of 11 states via a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass).
"It seems that it's quite significant that it's not only the administration senators but the minority leaders themselves who are heading this thing. In the case of Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., he has said that he wanted these amendments before the end of the term of the President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)," he said.
Gonzalez said Pimentel has always been for the federal system of government.
"This is a good beginning in the sense that we have always been talking about charter change and we agree that there is need for it, but every time we talk about it, people will say this is politically motivated and will only be used to extend the term of the President. Right now it's the minority in the Senate who seems to be (initiating it)," he added.
Aside from Villar, other signatories in the Joint Resolution were Senators Edgardo Angara, Rodolfo Biazon, Julian Pilar Cayetano, Juan Ponce Enrile, Francis Escudero, Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan and Ramon Revilla Jr.
Under the resolution, the Senate with the House of Representatives, upon a vote of three-fourths of all their members voting separately, can convene Congress into a Con-Ass and revise the Constitution to adopt a federal system of government.
The 11 states comprising the proposed federation are: Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Minparom, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, and Bangsamoro. Metro Manila shall be constituted as the Federal Administrative Region.
The joint resolution said the concentration of "enormous powers" in Manila has created only one center of finance and development in the country.
But Gonzalez said this provision will result in the dismembering of the republic, something that government has always been opposed to.
"I don't like the provision there which will allow a federal state to secede from the republic by a three-fourths vote. That's a provision that we will never agree to," he said.
He cited the case of Canada, which has been beset with efforts to cede the French-speaking province of Quebec.
Under the Canadian Constitution, moves to secede may be decided by the people through a plebiscite.
"That will dismember the country. This is one of the things, which the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) wants and we struck it down. We will balkanize the country. We will not agree to that," he said. (ECV/Sunnex)
