Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Senators out to kill Cha-cha
MANILA -- Convincing senators to support amending the Constitution through a constituent assembly will be a hard sell because it will mean cutting short their terms.
The senators also agree that Charter change is not feasible at this time and won't solve the economic and political crisis besetting the country.
Senator Joker Arroyo said there are 12 potential bi-partisan opposers who were elected last year and will not be amenable to shortening their terms.
They are Rodolfo Biazon, Pia Cayetano, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Richard Gordon, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., Manuel Roxas II, Juan Ponce Enrile, Loi and Jinggoy Estrada, Alfredo Lim, Jamby Madrigal and Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
"They cannot reasonably be expected to shorten their terms which will expire in 2010 or five years from now just so the country can shift to parliamentary. Or their clout as senators will be diminished," Senator Arroyo said.
"The proponents of Charter change should forget it altogether because the numbers are just not there to support it," he said.
Nevertheless, President Arroyo will lead an information campaign on Charter amendments to enable the people to understand its necessity and eventually draw support for the move.
Press Secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President has announced that she would include the discussions and explanations of the issues concerning Charter change and the proposed mode of a constitutional assembly when she resumes her provincial sorties soon.
Malacañang is planning to convene the Legislative-Executive Development Assistance Council as soon as it has consulted both the House and the Senate leaders on when the meeting will be scheduled.
Senator Arroyo said it is futile to even debate on Charter change in the Senate because it is not feasible at all.
"Why talk of the merits of amending the Constitution if it is not feasible? However, if the idea is to harness it as a distraction to the current political crisis, then that is something else," he said
"For Congress to amend the Constitution, the vote of three-fourths of all its members is required. That means 18 votes in the Senate. Thus, six senators can block the proposal and it's kaput," Senator Arroyo further said.
Senate President Franklin Drilon echoed Arroyo's view.
In Tuesday's majority caucus, Drilon said amending the Constitution was not tackled, proof that it is not part of the legislative agenda.
"For that matter, we did not discuss any new legislative agenda. The agenda we agreed upon last year that enumerates the laws that what we want to enact on a short-term, medium-term and long term would still stand. In other words, we set a legislative agenda at the start of the 13th (regular) session. The economy is still our focus," Drilon said.
Last Monday, the President asked Congress in the State of the Nation Address (Sona) to amend the Constitution as a solution to the political divisiveness in the country.
Under the President's proposal, Congress will form itself into a Constituent Assembly aimed at amending the Charter. The President said it is time to change the system from presidential to parliamentary and from unitary to federal.
Aside from Drilon and Senator Arroyo, those in the majority bloc who oppose Charter change are Roxas, Santiago, Rodolfo Biazon and Cayetano. From the minority, they are the Estradas, Pimentel and Sergio Osmeña III.
They said now is not the right time for Charter change.
Santiago agreed with Senator Arroyo that senators would not favor abolishing their positions.
"It might be good for the House of Representatives but not for the Senate," Santiago said.
She also said that it was still too early to change the basic law of the land because we have a young Constitution.
"At the earliest, the Constitution should be amended after one generation, or 30 years have passed. The 1986 Constitution is only 19 years old, and has not yet been fully tested. The 1987 Record of Constitutional Convention clearly shows that the framers wanted to avoid frequent Charter change. If the Constitution is not permanent, Charter change would lead to more political instability," Santiago said.
For their part, Senators Gordon, Edgardo Angara and Enrile favor Charter change.
Angara said a parliamentary system would be more efficient and less costly.
"I think it is imperative in restructuring the political system so we can move forward and time is of the essence," Angara said, noting that he proposed a Charter change bill in the Senate during the 12th Congress.
Bunye, in a separate statement, said it will also be up to Congress to decide how they will undertake the Charter amendments while at the same time handling the impeachment complaint against the President.
The House of Representatives adjourned its session past 7 last night without approving the rules of impeachment.
The 236-member-House drafts the rules of impeachment through a quorum of a simple majority, or 50 percent plus one.
Last Monday, an amended impeachment complaint was filed against the President accusing her of fraud in the May 2004 presidential polls, human rights violations and corruption. (Sunnex)
Related links:
Sona 2005
Sona 2004
Sona 2003
Sona 2002
Sona 2001
(July 27, 2005 issue)
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