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Monday, April 03, 2006
Davao mayor says 'yes' to Charter change
By Stella A. Estremera
DAVAO CITY -- Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he is for Charter change and would campaign for it during his weekly television program on Sunday.
But Sigaw ng Bayan, the group gathering the five million signatures to push for Charter change, and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) missed out on the opportunity to cash in on the mayor's strong endorsement.
"The notice came a little too soon and too late to me," Duterte said, in explaining why there was no attempt in the city to gather the barangays for an assembly to tackle the issue and get signatures.
He added though, "If there is another chance, I will call on the barangay captains."
Duterte said the Philippines, since former President Ferdinand E. Marcos was booted out of office, has remained in the doldrums and the situation has been a never-ending cycle of demand and dissent.
"So that we can get out of the doldrums, I will agree to a Charter change," he said.
He said while the top echelon of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are loyal to the country and the Constitution, there's a considerable number within the membership who are disgruntled and would remain disgruntled.
They will plot a coup d' etat over and over again, even form alliance with the communist New People's Army (NPA) as had already been attempted, added Duterte.
Matched with the never-ending opposition to the present administration, this would bring greater chaos, he said.
"The Philippines is like a ship whose anchor got stuck in the rocks. The ship wants to move forward but cannot. So, it's best if we (just cut the rope)," he said.
Duterte said, "This unrest has been going on for a long time now. Those who have led the ouster of Marcos have long died and yet government has not been able to move forward."
The rope in this case is the Constitution that defines the Philippine government as a presidential form of government where the President is voted by the people at large and is given a fixed term.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been pushing for Charter change, specifically to change the form of government to parliamentary where the chief of the government is the prime minister who is voted into an office by the parliament and could be booted out if he or she loses the confidence of the parliament.
Whether the people will agree to not having a hand in voting for their top official is another issue. But, Duterte said the important thing to be considered is that the never-ending People Power and Edsa Revolutions would finally come to end, after all, parliament can always boot out the prime minister.
"But we would not allow them to change prime ministers every week," he said.
However, Duterte expressed apprehension over the "people's initiative" move, saying this could backfire because there is no enabling law yet for such yet.
The lack of enabling law, he said, exposes the movement for Charter change to unnecessary delays and could even be mothballed because of technicalities.
Duterte prefers a constituent assembly because it is the quickest and cheapest way.
People's initiative, he said, takes time.
He added that aside from the debates this could engender, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would still have to validate the millions of signatures.
A constitutional commission, on the other hand, would cost a lot aside from the fact that it also takes time.
Should nothing come out of all these debates, he said, the option of a Republic of Mindanao would always be enticing to Mindanaoans.
"I will even agree to a Muslim president for as long as the military and the police are Christians," he said.
He hurried on to say that he would opt for a Muslim president because of the fact that majority of firearms that are not the property of the military and police are with the Moro people and the communist rebels.
"An ordinary Christian does not have a gun. There are those who have but these are small in terms of number and power and not the rifle-propelled grenades and grenade launchers that are found in Moro land," he said. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(April 3, 2006 issue)
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