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Friday, July 29, 2005
10 solons push creation of 12 states in RP
MANILA -- Ten administration lawmakers pushed Thursday for the establishment of 12 states in the country through a change in the Constitution, launching the Movement for Federal Philippines (MFP).
In a news conference, Representatives Juan Miguel Zubiri of Bukidnon, Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque City and Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte and former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva said MFP would mount a nationwide campaign to educate the public and persuade people to accept the idea of having 12 federal governments.
At the same time, 32 lawmakers, most of whom had signed the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, signed a resolution rejecting the constituent assembly at this time.
Led by Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, the lawmakers said a constituent assembly would further divide the country, and that the impeachment complaint against the President must be settled before any "great debate" on Charter Change begins.
Administration Representative Abraham Mitra of Palawan, meanwhile, urged his colleagues to approve House Bill 685, which calls for Charter changes through a Constitutional Convention, not a Consa.
From the Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye dismissed as premature a remark by former President Fidel Ramos that Arroyo could run for prime minister.
Also Thursday, an administration senator said more of his colleagues would support a Consa if Charter changes would not be limited to political reforms but cover certain economic provisions of the Constitution as well.
Failed system
In the MFP conference Thursday, Zubiri said the presidential form of government has been tried and tested -- and deemed to have failed.
He said it was the system that doomed any President to failure.
"We do not want Imperial Manila to dictate to us... what we can and cannot do, what we can spend and cannot spend," Zubiri said. "For example, Mindanao is contributing to the National Treasury some P200 billion in income each year. However, only about P30 billion goes back to us in the form of internal revenue allotments. So little is brought back to us. That's unfair."
Dimaporo, for his part, said the group understood that people feared a constituent assembly would be influenced by vested interests, but he said a ConCon would be subjected to the same pressures.
Abueva said with 12 states looking after their own people, the central parliamentary government would only need to look after services such as national defense, police, foreign relations, monetary policy, and communications.
Other social services, including lawmaking and decision-making would be decentralized and turned over the 12 federal states.
Abueva, who wrote a book entitled "Charter Change for Good Governance" from a six-year study funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, said there is so much "ignorance and prejudice" about ChaCha.
For example, he corrected the impression that the prime minister can be changed on the whim of parliamentarians.
"Under the proposed draft of the Constitution, there is a limit for the changing of the prime minister. Parliament can only change the leader three times in five years, not every six months or every year," Abueva said.
Zubiri said MFP would use all avenues to educate the public about federalism. For starters, the group bought 50 copies of Abueva's book and distributed them to reporters.
"Before you finish reading the book, I'm sure you would be helping us ventilate the good intent of federal governments," Zubiri said.
Senate support
Senator Ralph Recto, who counts himself as being open to ChaCha, said more of his colleagues in the Senate would support a Consa if economic provisions of the Constitution would also be changed.
"If the agenda is politics-heavy, Charter Change will not fly," Recto said.
"More than politics, the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution should occupy the thoughts of those who will be tasked to revise it."
Instead of debating term limits of elected officials and the form of government, Recto suggested that economic, trade, patrimony and investment issues should occupy center stage in the debate on constitutional amendments.
"For example, what new constitutional provisions are needed to create jobs, modernize the economy (and) increase productivity?" Recto said.
Senator Mar Roxas, on the other hand, raised worries that Congress may not be able to pass the budget if it is preoccupied by constitutional amendments.
Premature
Reacting to reports that quoted Ramos as saying Ms. Arroyo could run for prime minister, Bunye yesterday said the priority of the President is to promote the parliamentary and federal system of government.
The suggestion that she might run for prime minister is "premature" and may be misunderstood, he said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., for his part, attacked Ramos for dishing out supposed solutions to the current political crisis that are designed to confuse people and push the country deeper into disaster.
Pimentel said it was the height of hypocrisy and political opportunism for Ramos to float the idea that Arroyo could run for prime minister. (Manila Standard Today)
(July 29, 2005 issue)
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More than 70% of Pinoys want Arroyo ousted