Pangilinan says gov’t campaign for Cha-cha is ‘brain-dead’

If Charter change (Cha-cha) proposal, for some, is “dead,” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan believes that the government’s campaign for it is “brain-dead.”

Pangilinan is chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments deliberating on the proposal.

But while some of his colleagues considered Charter change as “dead” already, Pangilinan believes it is still on “life-support.”

“At yung kampanya parang brain-dead [And for its campaign, it’s like brain-dead],” he said.

Pangilinan’s made the remark amid the uproar on the video featuring a lewd federalism jingle being sung and danced by Communications Secretary Mocha Uson’s blogger-friend, Andrew Olivar.

The senator was also cold to Malacanang’s plan to come up with an official jingle to promote federalism.

READ: Gov’t eyeing ‘official’ jingle to promote federalism — Andanar

“Hindi naman ito parang eleksyon ng mga kandidato [This is not like the elections of candidates],” he said.

While a jingle may somehow help the federalism campaign, Pangilinan stressed there is no substitute to an intelligent discussion in an open and transparent process.

“I think nothing replaces, in terms of being able to ensure that there’s an intelligent discussion, debates by experts coming from various sectors in an open and transparent process and that’s what the committee has been trying to do,” he said.

The senator earlier expressed hope that his committee could come up with a report on the Charter change proposal by October of this year. /jpv

READ: Senate panel hopes to release report on Cha-cha by October