Move to amend Charter in light of BBL takes off

By: Niña P. Calleja - 9 years ago

Retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno. FACEBOOK PHOTO

The push for the convening of a constitutional convention (Con-Con) to amend the Constitution as the best way to address the thorny issue of the Bangsamoro political entity gained ground yesterday as hundreds gathered in Manila for the launch of a campaign for Charter change via a Con-Con led by retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

In one of his more emphatic speeches yet, Puno exhorted the public to join him and civil society groups in the campaign for constitutional change in a movement they call Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-Asa (New System, New Hope).

“It is high time for reform. It is high time to give a solution to all the problems of our country, not just in Mindanao. We can achieve this not by a piece of law from our Congress but through Charter change,” Puno said to chants of “Con-Con, Con-Con!” from the crowd.

Puno earlier said the Bangsamoro Basic Law, if passed by Congress, would place the country in a “no-win situation.”

On Saturday, he brought his call for a constitutional convention to a new level, with supporters rallying behind him.

Describing possible scenarios, Puno said the consequences of a failed BBL, aggravated by the disputes in the South China Sea, corruption and poverty, could be the tipping point for a crisis.

The win-win solution, he said, is to convene a constitutional convention where all the issues can be threshed out and the constitutional framework can be established for the kind of government envisioned for Muslim Mindanao.

“If I were the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), I would agree to this,” he said, noting that an ordinary law that would establish the Bangsamoro political entity could be repealed and amended by the Congress at any time.

The launch of the movement led by Puno and other former government officials, including former Finance Undersecretary Milwida Guevara, former Budget secretary Salvador Enriquez, lawyer Ernesto Arellano of the National Federation of Labor, and former Ambassador Sanchez Ali was attended by about 2,000 mostly Manila residents at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate.

They waved small Philippine flags as the former chief justice delivered his hour-long speech on constitutional reform and why he judged the BBL to be unconstitutional.

Saturday’s event was considered one of the biggest pro-Cha-cha (Charter change) gatherings since a similar push for Cha-cha failed during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Puno said in an interview that while the pro-Cha-Cha movement was not supporting any candidate in the 2016 elections, constitutional reform should be an election issue.

“It is important for us to know the stand of each of the candidates on this issue,” he told reporters.

He dismissed Senate President Franklin Drilon’s contention that constitutional amendments would take time and money, saying that the government must make time and effort to solve the biggest problems of the country.

“You cannot say we don’t have time. We should find a way to have sufficient time. If they say it’s costly, we have been spending so much for as long our problems have not been addressed,” Puno said.

“It’s a case of priorities,” he said, listing poverty, corruption, political dynasties, inequality of economic power, elections as among those things that constitutional reform hopes to change.

Describing the Philippine election system as “political insanity,” Puno said that without Cha-cha, elections would just lead to “a rigodon of the undeserving, the reign of the incompetents and the rule of the underachievers.”

Puno explained that the BBL would only be possible under a federal-parliamentary form of government, which is not allowed under the Constitution.

“Congress cannot give the powers demanded by the BBL without destroying the unitary character of our government, without violating our Constitution,” the former magistrate said.

The BBL, he noted, also lacked transparency and consultation as its flaws were only exposed after the tragic killing of 44 police commandos by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, early this year.

Puno also raised the questionable role of Malaysia in the Mindanao peace process, considering that it is locked in a territorial dispute with the Philippines over Sabah.