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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Consultative commission tackles federalism
By Jovy S. Taghoy
CEBU CITY -- The Presidential Committee on the Form of Government Consultative Commission (Concom) launched Monday the three-day regional consultation for charter change that will start Tuesday in Cebu.
According to Executive Order 453, which created the committee, the consultation will focus on proposed amendments that involve changes in government form, as well as refocus current economic policies and review those that hinder global competitiveness.
During Monday’s press conference at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Lahug, members made no mention of economic proposals, but instead aired their views on shifting from the current “presidential-unitary system” into a “parliamentary-federal” scheme.
The committee also discussed the petition before the Supreme Court that questions the legality of the allocation from where all the commission’s expenses are charged.
Victor Ortega, Concom vice chairman, and lawyer Rita Linda Jimeno, the committee’s legal counsel, downplayed the petition’s validity, saying the allocation came from the Office of the President and is not a new allocation from Congress.
The two also brushed aside allegations that a consultative commission is not among the Constitutional modes for charter amendments, saying that is not the body’s intent.
“We are a technical working group that has been commissioned to study existing proposals on what amendments need to be made, form our own proposal on the subject and consolidate what we believe will work for the president to consider. That is our only task,” said Jose Abueva, commission chairman.
The consultation, which will be attended by representatives of various government and non-government agencies, will begin at 8 a.m. and end around 3 p.m.
On Wednesday, the commissioners will divide themselves into three teams and travel to other cities and provinces to conduct consultations there.
One of the teams will visit Zamboanga City, while the other two will go to Iloilo City and Tacloban.
On the 27th, the teams will head for Puerto Princessa City in Palawan, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro.
The commissioners will leave for Manila on the 28th. The consultations for Luzon will begin on the second week of November.
“The consultation will allow us to know what the leaders of different provinces and municipalities in the country want as well as share our view on what they should have,” said secretary general Lito Monico Lorenzana.
On a primer, the consultative commission presented the advantages and disadvantages of what it called the presidential-unitary and the parliamentary-federal systems. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(October 25, 2005 issue)
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