Former Bayan Muna representative Neri Colmenares said the people need to oppose the proposed Charter Change (ChaCha) that will propel federalism in the country.
This is dangerous not only this generation but to the next generation, he said.
He was among the speakers during the “Justice Forum: Charter Change and Constitutional Reform in the Philippines” held at Santuario De La Salle in University of St. La Salle (USLS), Bacolod City on Friday, August 17, which was organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and USLS.
The other speakers were lawyer Roan Libarios, a member of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to amend the 1987 Constitution and national executive vice president of the People’s National Movement for Federalism and University of the Philippines School of Economics teaching fellow Jan Carlo Punongbayan.
Colmenares explained his reservations on the proposal that will grant Duterte the dictatorial powers where he will issue laws by dissolving Congress.
“There is a provision that we will open the economy to foreigners wherein they can buy and own real estate properties which for now is prohibited under the 1987 Constitution. Our natural resources will also be opened to trans-national corporations,” said the former solon, who is also a Negrense.
There are also provisions that attack human rights wherein under the Bill of Rights, people can just be protected if they will responsibly exercise their rights, he said. “But who defines if an act is responsible or not? It is the President. But the problem is his intolerance to dissent.”
It also has a provision that directly attacks the freedom of assembly and expression, he added.
Lastly, it also has a provision that is self-serving wherein congressmen and senators are exempted to pay their income tax but an ordinary teacher pays his or her income tax, Colmenares said.
It also has a provision that includes pork barrel, he added.
“This Charter Change is not just about federalism but many provisions that will endanger the lives and rights of the Filipino people and will also condemn us to poverty because of its economic provisions,” he stressed.
He said the administration of Duterte is doing everything to push for Charter Change. Their moves are all government-funded where they can compel all government officials to support.
“The political condition now is repressive and many are afraid to say no to ChaCha and in that sense, their ChaCha campaign is quite powerful,” he said.
But little by little, the content of their ChaCha are exposed just like the term extension, cancellation of the election, pork barrel which is not meant to benefit the people but for those in power, he said. “Because of that, more people are against it. More than 50 percent of the Filipinos are against it. On this matter, they lack public support.”
“We really hope to gather and explain to the people the need to oppose this ChaCha because this is dangerous, not only to us but to the next generation,” Colmenares said.
Lawyer John Paolo Villasor, dean of the College of Law of the University of Negros Occidental–Recoletos, said this is a very interesting forum because it presents both sides the discussion on federalism.
“The academe would want to study this matter more carefully because the changes that will be made to the Constitutional structure will be permanent so at this time the reason for this forum is we want to better inform the public,” he said.
“I would like to congratulate the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the University of St. La Salle for this joint undertaking and we try to bring to the people and to the community the debate on whether or not we should have Charter Change,” he said.
There were mixed reactions on the proposal, having both the proponents and opponents come together, he said.
If implemented carefully, this will bring advantages to the country. But we need to study it carefully, he reiterated.
“Definitely we will bring this discussion beyond the academe. We have to engage our business sector, the labor sector and all the other sectors in our society. This is a matter that involves all Filipinos without distinction,” he said.
“We need to engage everyone both in real time and in cyberspace. The debate is quite colorful on the internet. But we have to bring this to the real world because there are realities that would affect us if this change is not implemented properly,” he added.
The purpose of this forum is for us to ensure that we have a thorough discussion, he said.
On the recent “lewd” federalism video involving Presidential Communication Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux "Mocha" Uson, Villasor said it was an interesting take on federalism.
“But federalism is more than just a five-minute song and dance number. It will affect us all permanently for generations to come if we implement changes now,” he added.
Meanwhile, IBP has yet to release an official statement on the latest Constitution draft proposed by ConCom. They will plan to do so after accessing the draft.