Militants back ‘people’s transition council’

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—A militant youth group launched a campaign to oust President Aquino for his alleged mishandling of the Mamasapano operation, but stressed that it would not benefit his constitutionally mandated successor, Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Members of Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU) took to the streets on Friday urging residents to speak out against Aquino. But they wanted a people’s transition council, not Binay, to replace Aquino, said TTU secretary-general, Tracy Anne Dumalo.

“We are not pro-Binay because we all know that he is no different considering his involvement in corruption cases. We believe that a people’s transition council is the best option,” Dumalo said.

She also distanced the TTU proposal from a National Transition Council being advocated by Aquino’s uncle, former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr.

Dumalo said the proposed council would be similar to the Constitutional Commission that was formed after the 1986 Edsa People Power revolution. She said the proposed council would resolve all pressing government concerns before holding national elections.

The TTU also collected signatures for a people’s initiative to abolish the pork barrel system. The signature campaign would help in advocating a pending congressional measure to abolish all lump-sum allocations for lawmakers, Dumalo said.

A people’s initiative needs the approval of at least 10 percent of the total number of registered voters nationwide before it is transmitted to the Commission on Elections, which is required by the Constitution to hold a referendum within two months.

“As we continue to demand for accountability and justice for the pork barrel scam let us also demand the ouster of an incompetent President who refuses to admit his mistakes and even has the audacity to blame others for his failures,” Dumalo said.–Kimberlie Quitasol, Inquirer Northern Luzon