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Wednesday, September 06, 2006
House body passes Charter change resolution
MANILA -- With or without the senators, the House of Representatives will pursue Charter amendments via Constituent Assembly.
On Tuesday, the House committee on constitutional amendments chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Representative Constantino Jaraula adopted House Resolution (HR) 1230 convening Congress into an assembly that will pave the way for amending the 1987 Constitution.
Malacañang allies prefer Constitutional Assembly as a means to pursuing Charter amendments but it is also open to the people's initiative being pushed by Sigaw ng Bayan and the Union of Local Authorities in the Philippines (Ulap).
After two hours of debate, the panel approved the measure with a vote of 30 to 7.
"It was a supersonic jet that destroyed everything on its path, including the House rules," said Bayan Muna party-list Representative Satur Ocampo, stressing that the substance of the proposed amendments and revision should have been tackled first.
Those who voted against the motion to adopt Resolution 1230 were Representatives Ocampo; Liza Maza of Gabriela; Roilo Golez of Parañaque City; Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis; and Loretta Ann Rosales and Mario Aguja of Akbayan.
The proposed Constitution includes transitory provisions for the shift to a unicameral-parliamentary government wherein President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo serves as interim Prime Minister until her term ends in 2010.
The panel also amended the title of the resolution to: "Resolution proposing amendments or revisions of the 1987 Constitution pursuant to Article XVII, Section 1 (of the 1987 Constitution)."
"The motion was approved overwhelmingly. This is not my triumph but the triumph of the committee and the Filipino people," said Jaraula in his retort to minority congressmen who protested the alleged railroading.
Golez, for his part, insisted during the hearing that the substance of the proposed Charter should have been discussed more thoroughly.
But the committee chairman said this has been done in past meetings and pointed out that he even asked members to submit in writing their proposed changes.
He advised minority legislators to record their objection with the committee secretariat.
"Mr. Chairman, aren't you ashamed (of what you did)?" Golez asked Jaraula right after he adjourned the hearing. But the statement just fell on deaf ears.
Earlier in the hearing, Jaraula also fended off the inquiry of Representative Jacinto Paras of Negros Oriental into the majority's claim that they have already gathered the needed 195 signatories (three-fourths of Congress' membership) to introduce amendments to the Constitution, saying it is not included in the agenda.
Representative Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, the acting president of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), said they have already gathered 198 signatories.
In a separate interview, Jaraula told reporters that the "magic number" contained mere "commitments."
"I cannot confirm on those who will vote for Charter change (in the plenary)," he said.
Jaraula said the House could call for a joint session right after the plenary approves the committee report and the resolution.
Section 1 (1) of Article 17 of the Constitution provides that: "Any amendment to or revision of this Constitution may be proposed by Congress upon a vote of three fourths of all its members."
House Speaker Jose De Venecia said this means that the Constitution can be amended or revised even with only a few senators in attendance in a joint session.
Jaraula hoped the senators' stand could be "softened" with talks and negotiations on a "package of amendments."
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said what they did was far from railroading since the matter had long been pending in the committee.
The Senate, however, downplayed on Tuesday the approval of the resolution by the House committee on constitutional amendments.
Senator Joker Arroyo lashed out at the House of Representatives for railroading the amendments to the Constitution. "The proponents of Charter change are rushing because they know that time is not on their side," he added.
With conflicting views on constitutional reforms between the Senate and the House, Senator Arroyo believed that in the end it will be the Supreme Court (SC) that will resolve the matter.
"The House of Representatives cannot do this alone, on whether or not we should constitute the legislature into a Constituent Assembly to affect amendments,"
Senator Rodolfo Biazon, meanwhile, said.
He also denounced the faking of signatures of some party-list congressmen like Akbayan party-list Representatives Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Loretta Ann Rosales to reach and exceed the 195 signatures supporting House Resolution 1230, which contain proposed amendments to the Constitution.
Biazon said Congress should first resolve which method to adopt in amending the Constitution and set aside for the meantime the provisions that should be amended.
"We are not even talking about proposed amendments. We are only trying to decide whether or not these amendments should be undertaken through a Constituent Assembly of Congress," the senator said.
As far as the Senate is concerned, Biazon said the Upper House wants constitutional convention as a means to revise the Constitution.
The Senate had passed a resolution opposing the proposal of the House of Representatives for a joint vote of both houses of Congress to amend the Constitution through an assembly
Presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio said the passage of a House committee resolution favoring Charter amendment has made Charter change a "now or never" prospect.
Claudio, in a text message, said he hoped that the Senate will reassess its stand on constitutional change.
"It's a good back-up vehicle to the people's initiative pending before Comelec (Commission on Elections) and the Supreme Court. We welcome the firm resolve of the House of Representatives to push for constitutional reforms in order to finally remove the structural obstacles to our country's political stability and economic growth," he said.
"With the twin moves for people's initiative and Constituent Assembly in the House in full throttle, it is perhaps a good time for the Senate to reassess its position and not oppose a legitimate and worthy bandwagon for reforms," he added.
The opposition called Tuesday's approve of the House resolution a "farce, shame, and mockery of the House rules and the Constitution."
Monico Lorenzana, chairman of the Charter Change Advocacy Commission, welcomed the House resolution, as it boosts chances of amending the Constitution and the system of government.
Lorenzana has yet to see the proposed changes but "it is a welcome development whatever the mode. There's no problem for us because the important thing is to change the system of government."
"We expect the process to be finished as soon as possible but we don't want to impose any deadline," he added.
He reiterated that the constitutional reforms do not concentrate power on a chosen few, as claimed by some anti-Charter change critics, but devolves it.
Lorenzana said the essence of Charter change is to devolve and share power among society's various stakeholders.
"The devolution of political and economic powers, as included in Charter amendments, aims to empower the countryside, redistribute and spread wealth to the marginalized regions," he said.
"This will enable us Filipinos to respond more efficiently to our problems, meet our challenges, and achieve our goals and compete in the global economy," he added.
Lorenzana said the three major proposals -- shift to parliamentary, shift to autonomous territories, and the lifting of economic restrictions -- means decentralizing power and creating opportunities for others to empower themselves." (DBP/JMR/REC/Sunnex)
(September 6, 2006 issue)
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