Assembly rams through Con-ass; rapped for fake signatories

09/06/2006

Voting 30-7, the Arroyo-dominated House committee on constitutional amendments yesterday approved in just a minute’s time, a resolution consisting of a slew of amendments to the present Constitution, calling for a shift to a parliamentary government, extending the terms of elective local officials from three to five years and with the incumbents’ automatic membership in the new Parliament; providing for a prime minister who will serve as chief operating officer with the president serving as state head, among other provisions.

The transitory provision that was approved yesterday was to ensure that the current members of Congress will automatically become members of an interim parliament until June 30, 2007 except for senators elected in 2004, who shall continue their service until 2010, the resolution for the convening of a Constitutional Assembly (Con-ass) also said.

The interim parliament will set the first elections under the new system, with President Arroyo continuing her term until 2010.

The opposition reacted by calling the quick approval a “farce,” “a shame” and “mockery of House rules and the Constitution.”

It took about a minute for the committee of Rep. Constantino Jaraula to approve the resolution with no discussions made at all on it.

“I don’t consider it a moment of triumph even as I am chairman of the committee. It’s a triumph of the committee and of the Filipino people ,” Jaraula told the media.

Those who voted against the resolution were opposition congressmen, with Rep. Roilo Golez charging “railroading,” stressing that the passage of the resolution was the “lowest point in the history of the House” when the committee approved in “no more than a minute” a 61-page “expanded resolution.”

He noted that when they first tackled the measure last May 23, it consisted only of 21 pages but the new one was expanded to 61 pages without any consultations with members of the committee.

“It’s a disgrace, it’s a shame and I said that straight to the face of chairman Jaraula. We witnessed not a railroad but a bullet train driven by powerful hands,” Golez added.

Senators crossed party lines in criticizing the move of members of the House of Representatives to effect Charter change without the participation of the upper chamber, saying their idea is not feasible.

Administration Sen. Richard Gordon even went beyond assailing the House’s approval of a resolution convening Congress into a Constituent Assembly, insinuating alleged collusion by some lower house members with the actions taken by proponents of the Palace-proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

“I think there they’re trying to create a ‘bandwagon effect’ (situation). But the problem is, it has no wheels. They don’t have ‘constitutional wheels’ to make it move,” Gordon pointed out.

Just like Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Joker Arroyo, Gordon said the lower house cannot undertake any approval to amend the Constitution alone.

“They can push all they want but in reality, they have to approve their amendments to the Constitution and submit this to the Senate,” he said.

“Their interpretation of the word Congress, they take it as referring to them only. That’s not the right interpretation,” said Pimentel.

“I don’t know where they got the impression that they alone can carry out amendments to the Constitution. No matter how many resolutions they pass, even if they come up with a thousand resolutions, it would not be feasible.

Both Pimentel and Biazon stressed that the Senate is agreeable to amending the Charter but not the manner by which the House wants it done.

“The House of Representatives cannot do this alone,” echoed Biazon.

The senator also raised some questions as to the validity of the approved resolution as he noted some reports over alleged “fake” signatories.

“What is this I am hearing even alleged signatories to the resolutions, with some of them being fake..because some congressmen say they did not sign the resolution and yet their names appear there, like Rep. Riza Hontiveros- Baraquel and I heard Rep. Teddy Casino.

“We have the information that some of them had been included as signatories and yet they deny they are really signatories. What is this all about?” he asked.

Pimentel called the resolution an “ill-conceived plan” of the House leadership to proceed with amending the Constitution even without Senate participation, predicting that this will not take off.

“The resolution is Speaker Jose de Venecia’s last hurrah. He wants to eviscerate the constitutional system and drag it down with him,” Pimentel said.

De Venecia and other administration congressmen have cited Article 17, section 1 of the Constitution which provides that “Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members,” may amend the Charter.

“In the end it will be the SC that will decide and I’m certain the SC will never agree to the House move,” Senator Arroyo said.

The senator said the apparent rush to effect Cha-cha by its proponents is understandable “because time is not on their side.”

For its part, Malacañang yesterday urged the Senate to surrender to the House on the issue of Charter change after the passage of the resolution in Jaraula’s committee.

In a text message, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said it is now time for the Senate to re-assess its position on the matter and start joining the Cha-cha bandwagon, which, according to him, would bring the needed reforms for the country.

Claudio also described the development as an indication that Cha-cha is a “now-or-never” proposition and would boost both the people’s initiative and constitutional assembly (ConAss) modes.

“Charter change appears to have really become a now-or-never proposition. Within the twin move for people’s initiative and ConAss in the House in full throttle, it is perhaps a good time for the Senate to re-assess its position and not to oppose a legitimate and worthy bandwagon for our reforms,” Claudio said.

He added that “the approval of the committee of the House resolution on constitutional revision makes the prospects for Charter change even more compelling now. It is a good backup vehicle to the people’s initiative pending before the Comelec and Supreme Court,” he said.

“We welcome the firm resolve of the House of Representatives to push constitutional reforms in order to finally remove the structural obstacle to our country’s political stability and economic growth,” Claudio added. With Angie M. Rosales, Sherwin C. Olaes and Tribune wires