Countdown, showdown, payback

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

04/24/2009

As the wick of Gloria’s reviled term shortens, the more her allies are showing their capability to be more sophisticated in the methods to realize her dream for political perpetuity.

Despite his earlier reluctance, Speaker Prospero Nograles submitted an anticipated resolution for the creation of a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) within Congress to amend the Constitution even without the participation of the Senate.

The opposition had long seen through the ploy, saying that its patent absurdity was intended as a bait for the proposal to be challenged before the Supreme Court (SC).

Bringing the question on the exact configuration of the Con-ass to the high court brings the Charter change (Cha-cha) train nearer to its intended destination of Gloria’s lifetime rule.

The gameplan apparently was designed in Malacañang under Gloria’s eager eyes as related by a member of the House saying that Nograles apparently filed the resolution under duress, with Gloria holding a virtual shotgun to his head.

Not long ago, Nograles was the recipient of an unlikely praise from Gloria for “ably steering the House of Representatives” which many took to mean as her way of telling Nograles to get the Cha-cha train moving at all cost.

Nograles, as all aspirants for popular votes in next year’s elections, was obviously reluctant to touch the Cha-cha move that nobody except Gloria, with her insatiable ambition, wanted.

He tried to sneak in support for a less unpopular avenue to tinker with the Constitution through a Constitutional Convention (Con-con) which even the opposition Liberal Party of the Franklin Drilon wing is backing.

Of course, doing this would have Gloria already out of the picture, since taking the Con-con route would take time, meaning that it would have to wait until after the national elections next year and the measure to be taken up likely under a new administration.

The Con-ass resolution was drafted by Gloria’s chief House ally, Rep. Luis Villafuerte who claimed that the proposal was meant for a “justiciable controversy” which, when he said it, makes the Con-ass bid appear as an academic pursuit.

It is a fine time to introduce a justiciable controversy just when Gloria has been paying lip service to putting the nation’s full attention on the economic crisis which she attributes to the global financial crunch. But in truth, the crisis has been periodically in and out during her almost nine-year lackluster administration.

The Villafuerte resolution called for “members of Congress to convene for the purpose of considering proposals to amend or revise the Constitution, upon a vote of three-fourths of all the members of Congress.”

All means the House of Representatives and the Senate together.

Villafuerte’s claim of justiciable controversy, nevertheless, confirms the opposition’s suspicions that the proposal was meant to have the Con-ass question transmitted immediately to the high tribunal that appears to be a matter of how to put on express mode the Cha-cha train under the Palace gameplan.

The opposition in the House had sent out warnings on not falling into the obvious trap but allies of Gloria in the Senate have already indicated that the measure would be questioned with the SC.

The not so mysterious puzzle is why Gloria and her allies seem cocksure in their confidence that a mad dash for Cha-cha before the November filing of candidacy needs to take the route of the high court deciding on the Con-ass proposal as a single chamber.

Gloria during her nine years in power has taken great pains to put those whom she considers as reliable allies in the highest court of the land.

Those Gloria appointees usually show the expected independence on nearly all matters except when it comes to Gloria’s political survival.

The Cha-cha move, which through all the denials and assurances, would likely result in the shift to a parliamentary form of government in which Gloria would be eligible to run as Prime Minister, who supposedly serves under the pleasure of members of the legislature.

Con-ass dominated by her allies is Gloria’s likely last card for the Cha-cha bid before her time runs out next year.

Being Gloria, a payback is expected from her SC appointees.

Back to top

For comments about this website:Webmaster@tribune.net.ph
The Daily Tribune © 2006