Cha-cha, Con-ass: 2 separate resolutions
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:54:00 11/22/2008
Filed Under: Laws, Constitution, Charter change
MANILA, Philippines—The [Luis] Villafuerte (Camarines Sur representative) resolution on constituent assembly is separate from the initiative of Speaker Prospero Nograles calling for a revision of foreign equity limits in the Constitution without stating a preferred mode.
But Nograles was the first to sign Villafuerte’s resolution.
He claimed that 163 had already signed up for his own resolution, which was why the House committee on constitutional amendments had scheduled a public hearing on the pending resolutions for Charter change on Nov. 25.
Villafuerte told ANC television that 156 had actually signed up for the Con-ass resolution. He said the main goal of the initiative was to compel the Supreme Court to rule on how the constitutional provisions on Charter change through a Con-ass should be interpreted.
For the Con-ass resolution to be carried in the House, Nograles admitted that the administration allies in the rainbow coalition—the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Liberal Party (LP)—should sign up.
Mikey Arroyo said he expected the Con-ass resolution, particularly its interpretation that the House and the Senate should vote jointly and not separately, would be ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court.
For Con-con
“Students of politics and history will benefit from this because the Supreme Court will have to rule on this. Let’s not shoot down this legislation right away; let’s give this a chance,” he said.
But Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, the NPC regional director, said at least 28 of the party’s members were firm on a constitutional convention as the best mode to change the Constitution.
Muntinlupa Rep. Rufi Biazon, an LP member, said a constitutional convention was the “ideal way” for Charter change as it would dispel charges of self-serving interests by the Con-ass proponents, who would automatically benefit from an extension of term limits.
Deputy Minority Leader Roilo Golez said he was unimpressed by the latest move to amend the Charter.
“In my five terms as congressman, I have seen Cha-cha morph into various forms, but they just come and go. What appears to be an irresistible force always runs into an immovable object and peters out. The stronger the Cha-cha effort, the more immovable the blocking object. Ho-hum, here we go again,” Golez said.
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