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Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Arroyo brings back Charter change to life
MANILA -- Charter change remains a priority agenda of the Arroyo administration, days after the President and her allies at the House of Representatives backed down amid threats of massive street protests against amending the Constitution.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Tuesday that Charter change is a reality that the country, including its leaders, must face and accept, as it will ensure a better future for the Philippines.
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"This is a matter of paramount national interest and our leaders must all rise to the challenge," the President said during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Asian Development Bank in Ortigas Center in Pasig City.
Arroyo said there are three realities that the Filipinos should face and these include the need for the people to "accept the need for Charter change to overhaul the system."
The other two "realities" are the need for a "unified national consensus on the means and timetable and three, that this is a platform commitment of the administration that will be pursued with urgency and fervor."
The President last week acknowledged that it will be the people who will decide on constitutional amendments at the time they deem "ripe and needful," and "in the manner they deem proper."
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) led a thanksgiving rally last Sunday in Manila and some parts of the country, after Arroyo and the House of Representatives backed off from pursuing constitutional assembly as a way to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Character
Catholic schools in the country are one with the CBCP in calling for a different kind of Cha-cha, which is character change.
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (Ceap), which counts more than 1,200 Catholic schools as members, was initially open to the amendment of the Charter, but was turned off by the action of majority of the congressmen who passed last December 7 a resolution to convene a Senate-less constituent assembly (Con-Ass).
The group's press statement was signed by Ceap President Fr. Roderick Salazar Jr. of the University of San Carlos in Cebu and at least 17 of the organization's board of directors.
"It is not that we think the Constitution is perfect. It is not. It needs changes. But the way things are going, we believe that suspicions of vested interests of our legislators would be minimized or avoided if, for now, we just bracket off these moves on Charter change," the Ceap statement read.
Opposition senators and congressmen also warned the President against resuming efforts to amend the Constitution.
"Tigil-tigilan muna yan. Galit ang tao dyan. Pakinggan ang outrage ng ating mga kababayan (It should stop. The people are against it. The outrage of the people must be heeded)," Senate President Manuel Villar said.
He cautioned the administration against reading the low turnout at a Church-initiated prayer rally at the Luneta last Sunday as a gauge of the sentiments against Charter change.
House Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero called Arroyo's statement to continue pushing Charter change the "height of stubbornness, arrogance and treachery."
Senator Panfilo Lacson also criticized Arroyo for refusing to abandon Charter change.
Bottom line
He said the bottom line is that the President felt emboldened again after a church-led anti-Charter change rally failed to muster the target attendance of 500,000.
"I had prayed that Mrs. Arroyo would indeed have some kind of character change. Indeed, she underwent character change but it was a change for the worse. Not only did she continue lying. She has now started to lie brazenly," he said.
He said Malacañang and its allies in Congress resumed calls to amend the Constitution only after Sunday's rally. But before the rally, he recalled that Arroyo had issued a statement claiming that it is not yet time to amend the Charter.
But the President, in her speech Tuesday, said pursuing Charter change means working closely and inclusively with all stakeholders and institutions, observing transparency and backing up the entire process with a strong economy, social payback and values programs.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that while the President respects and supports the call of the church for character change instead of Charter change, amending the Constitution is part of her platform.
In its press statement, Ceap said it is for reforms, but such reforms should be towards helping the poor, strengthening democracy and improving the country's political practice.
It recommends that the first change should be a revamp of the Commission on Elections.
"Make the 2007 elections truly credible. Then, when the necessary safeguards against self-interest shall have been set, and after a massive education campaign, maybe we can resurrect the plan to change the Constitution," Ceap said. (Sunnex/JGA of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (December 20, 2006 issue)
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