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More anti-Cha-cha rallies set despite postponement of House vote

By Charlie V. Manalo

12/16/2008

In deference to the call of House Speaker Prospero Nograles for a cessation of discussions and exchanges on the controversial issue of Charter change, Majority Leader Art Defensor yesterday urged his colleagues to defer the scheduled hearing on Cha-cha.

“I presume the Speaker does not want to disturb the spirit of Christmas hence the call for a ceasefire on Cha-cha discussion. The committee (on constitutional amendments) will either have to postpone or reset their scheduled hearing,” Defensor announced during yesterday’s session.

The committee, headed by La Union Rep. Victor Ortega, was scheduled to vote today if there is a need to amend the Charter.

Still, in a telephone interview afterwards, Defensor clarified it would defend on the decision of Ortega.

But Defensor’s pronouncement was only propelled by a manifestation aired by Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafurte who questioned two contradicting news stories supposedly emanating from the office of Nograles.

While one paper stated that Nograles was calling for a ceasefire on Cha-cha, a story from another national daily said that Ortega’s committee will vote today on the Speaker’s proposed amendment on economic provision via the same process as that of an ordinary legislation.

“While I welcome the Speaker’s advocacy for a ceasefire on Cha-cha which I believe would be more appropriately termed moratorium in discussions and exchanges on Cha-cha, I am disturbed by the news that the House wll vote (today) on the proposed amendment by legislation,” Villafuerte said during his manifestation. “Which is which is Mr. Speaker?”

Villafuerte added that even with a moratorium on Cha-cha discussions, he believes that the House should once and for all decide on the issue once session resumes January.

Villafuerte also dared those proposing for a Constitutional Convention (Con-con) to come up with their own resolution calling for such cause signed by at least 176 lawmakers from both the House and the Senate, representing 2/3 of all the members of the Congress.

“They are proposing Con-con and yet they have to file a resolution calling for such,” Villafuerte said.

In an interview, the Camarines Sur solon also bared that Rep. Antonio Cuenco, a staunch proponent of Con-con, is one of the co-authors of a joint resolution calling for Congress to convene itself into a Con-ass.

“They are so vocal against my resolution which had only been triggered by the Nograles resolution for the amendment on the economic provision in the Constitution but which I have yet to file but they are so silent on the at least eight resolutions filed including the one co-authored by Cuenco which also calls for a Con-ass,” said Villafurte.

“If he is really serious on the Con-con, then he should withdraw his resolution calling for a Con-ass and then file a resolution for a Con-con. There is no problem with changing your position on this issue.”

Cuenco, in an interview said he would be withdrawing his Con-ass resolution.

“I am now for the Con-con,” said Cuenco.

Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) has said he is glad over the reports that leaders of the House of Representatives have one by one retreated from the plan to amend the Constitution even without Senate participation.

Pimentel said the backpedaling congressmen have become so contemptuous of the plan for the House to unilaterally amend the Charter, as contained in a joint resolution, that one of them, Majority Leader Arthur Defensor dismissed the document as just a “scrap of paper.”

“It good that they now admit that the House can’t change the Constitution without the Senate,” he said.

Pimentel said some House leaders have broached idea of a Senate-House dialog obviously because they know that the latest Cha-cha attempt is destined to fail anew if they would pursue steps that do not conform with the Constitution.

He also lashed out at Palace lackeys in the House for insisting that all amendments to the Charter should be voted jointly, instead of separately, by both the Senate and the House despite the explanation of certain delegates to the 1986 Constitutional Commission that joint voting by the two chambers was never their intention.

Because of the House leaders’ turnaround on the Cha-cha issue, Pimentel said “the suggestion of certain congressmen for a Senate-House dialogue to thresh out their differences may be unnecessary.”

For his part, Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday declared : “No dialog until and unless the Lower House clearly defines its position on the mode of amending the constitution.”

Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws refused to sit down in a proposed inter-chamber dialog to resolve the Senate and the Congress’ conflict on the voting system for charter change.

“An inter-chamber dialog cannot settle the conflict between the two Houses unless Congress endures and satisfies the processes and requisites mandated by the Constitution in amending the constitution.”

The senator maintains his position that the Senate and Congress necessitate separate voting in any move to revise or amend the Constitution.

“Congress always asks for our help in passing their bills, bills as mundane as renaming of streets or schools. Now here they are suddenly saying the Senate is irrelevant in the process of amending the Charter? Let us see them pass an ordinary bill first without the Senate’s help and we can take it from there.”

Escudero said as chairman of the constitutional amendment committee, he will not negotiate, compromise and discuss away the powers and prerogatives of the Senate as an institution.

“Those who push Cha-cha in the House have no monopoly of representing the true sentiments of the Filipino people. In fact, they have misrepresented the prevailing sentiments of the Filipinos. What they are pushing is just to benefit the self-serving ambitions of the few.”

As far as Cha-cha is concerned, he said that if ever there is indeed a need for it, it should be done after the elections in 2010.

“This administration cannot be trusted to arbitrate the process of this initiative given its propensity to burnish its ambition beyond its term limit.”

The United Opposition (UNO) will press their fight against Cha-cha despite statements from House leaders that the chamber will set aside until January discussions on several measures filed by Arroyo administration allies to amend the Constitution.

“What we got from the House leadership is a confirmation that they will pursue Cha-cha in January. As far as the allies of Mrs. Arroyo are concerned, the Cha-cha express is still on despite mounting opposition from all sectors of society,” Makati Mayor and UNO president Jejomar Binay said.

Binay was reacting to the statement of House Speaker Prospero Nograles that the chamber will set aside deliberations on Cha-cha and focus instead on the 2009 budget and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL).

“There is no reason for us to suspend or defer our plans. On the contrary, there is more reason for us to plan bigger and more broad-based protest activities in Metro Manila and the provinces,” Binay said.

The opposition leader also dismissed Malacanang’s call for a dialog on Cha-cha, saying “what purpose will a dialog serve when Mrs. Arroyo and her House allies have already made up their minds?”

Binay said rally organizers have been encouraged by the large turnout of participants in last Friday’s anti Cha-cha rally in Makati.

At its peak, Binay said the rally drew 15,000 participants based on reports from the various groups. Organizers had expected only 5,000 participants owing to the short time it took to mobilize participants and the Christmas rush.

The opposition leader said they will take the anti Cha-cha campaign to areas outside Metro Manila starting January and will not stop until the Arroyo administration abandons Cha-cha.

“We will press the fight against Cha- cha in Metro Manila and in the provinces. If the Arroyo administration wants to Cha- cha, we are ready to rumble,” he said.

Binay also dismissed statements from Nograles and other Lakas leaders that a proposal to convene Congress into a constituent assembly, as proposed by leaders of Mrs. Arroyo’s party, Kampi, would not pass.

“Mrs. Arroyo, until now, has not said a word about the matter, but her silence only confirms our belief that she is orchestrating all these attempts to tinker with the Charter in order to extend her hold on power,” he said.

“Speaker Nograles may say what he wants about Kampi’s Con-ass resolution, but in the end both Lakas and Kampi have the same agenda, and that is to allow Mrs. Arroyo to hold on to power,” he said.