election lawyer Romulo Macalintal: Even just for six years. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–For election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, it’s an idea whose time has come.
Macalintal said Wednesday his proposal to abolish Congress, even for just six years, has been gaining support the more he talks about it with various groups.
Against the backdrop of the pork barrel scam controversy involving many lawmakers, Macalintal said doing away with the Senate and the House of Representatives, even temporarily, would allow the country to put its P35 billion budget to better use.
He said this was actually not a new proposal, since he aired a similar proposal in 2004. But the pork barrel brouhaha has given this a new impetus, he said.
Just for six years
“If they don’t want to do away with it completely, we can do so even for just six years. We have to file a resolution to amend the Constitution to abolish Congress even for six years. After six years, we ask the people again, ‘would you like to revive Congress?’” he said in a phone interview.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte opposed Macalintal’s proposal, challenging the lawyer to run for a congressional seat so he could fix the legislature as an insider.
“I disagree with him. He should try to win a seat in either chamber so he can improve it from within,” Belmonte said in a text message.
According to Macalintal, Congress was not worth its P35-billion budget in 2013, which included the now scrapped priority development assistance fund or pork barrel. It has only passed one bill, which was the measure to postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, he said.
No worthy laws
The 16th Congress, whose term began in June 2013, also approved the 2014 budget bill last December.
He also castigated its hearings in aid of legislation, such as those conducted by the Senate blue ribbon committee on the issue of the alleged theft of pork barrel funds. These hearings have not resulted in worthy laws, he said.
“They invite resource persons, but how can you get information in aid of legislation when you’re calling them names, holding them in contempt?” he said.
Should Congress be abolished, the P35 billion allocated for it could be put to good use, he said.
Who will OK budget?
For the six-year period, the funds could be used to help Yolanda victims, construct crucial infrastructure projects, ensure rice production, improve the transportation system and the like. With these projects given focus, investors and businessmen would be assured that something productive is being done in the country.
But without a legislature, who would approve the budget bill? The power of the purse lies with Congress.
Macalintal, when asked, said local government officials, such as the governors and the mayors of highly urbanized cities could constitute a legislative assembly to handle the budget.
“They are the people who know the problems, they know the laws, the things needed in their areas,” he said.
If there’s input needed on what new laws are needed, the President could ask the Supreme Court what loopholes it sees in the law and what measures are needed.
There’s one big stumbling block to Macalintal’s proposal, though. It would need the approval of the very Congress he wants to abolish since it has to be done through a resolution in the legislature to amend the Constitution.
In their shoes
Macalintal acknowledged that he’s a “voice in the wilderness” with regard to this aspect, since he doesn’t know if a legislator would dare sponsor or support his idea.
But he said if he were in their shoes, he would heed his plan.
“With the shame they have before the people, with the people losing trust in them, I would be filing this resolution,” he said.
Macalintal said that since broaching his idea of a Congress-free Philippines early this year, he has spoken with student groups, church leaders, and organizations about it and they have been receptive to the proposal.
He has been trying to get organized in order to push the proposal, he added.
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