http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20090606hed2.html
HR 1109 to reach a cul de sac — solon
By Gerry Baldo
06/06/2009
Despite the hoopla created by the passage of the controversial Charter change (Cha-cha) resolution, the measure will have to go to the Senate and will then come to a dead-end.
Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez said that unless the Senate agrees with the House in its plan to amend the Constitution, the resolution will not prosper.
But Arroyo diehards in the House plugging for Cha-cha through the constitutent assembly said, with or without the Senate, the con-ass leading to amendments to the Charter will push through, stressing that Senate concurrence is not needed, even if they intend to give each senator, not the Senate as an institution, a copy of the resolution with the intent of getting the signatures of the individual senators.
The senators have stood firm on not participating in the single House con-ass which they call a “charade.”
But Golez pointed out that even if the con-ass produces proposed amendments to the Constitution, the amendments would have to be submitted to a plebiscite with its accompanying law and appropriation.
“A law with accompanying appropriation is required for a plebiscite to be conducted by the Comelec (Commission on Elections). Without a law the Comelec cannot act. And that law requires Senate approval which it will never get,” Golez said yesterday.
“So it’s back to square one. When the House approved HR 1109, it’s like sending HR 1109 to outer space, to orbit for eternity and never to return to earth,” Golez added.
This developed as the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan announced it is going to join the broad multisectoral protest action against Charter change and Constituent Assembly on June 10 in Makati City.
Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr. said that “various groups are quickly coming together to register their strongest condemnation of this latest move to prolong Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power.”
With five days to go before the rally, various groups are staging daily protest actions to rouse awareness on the impact of the con-ass resolution passed by the House of Representatives last Tuesday.
“It has become inevitable that various groups, faiths and parties come together to condemn the con-ass maneuver of the Palace. Even if Malacañang belittles our action, we will make sure that a strong message is delivered on June 10. And we are ready to follow this up with more protest actions leading up the state of the nation address of Mrs. Arroyo,” Reyes said.
“The assurances made by Arroyo allies that there will be no term extension, these are all meaningless once the constituent assembly is convened. Anything is possible. There may be no strict term extension for Mrs. Arroyo but she can occupy the new position of Prime Minister. Nothing is impossible with this administration. It will never cease to defy law and logic just to it could pursue its agenda of power,” he added.
Bayan will also spearhead protest actions in various urban center in different regions in the Philippines. They will be working closely with other opposition groups and faith-based formations in launching protest actions on June 10.
“The people are not stupid. They can see the real intent of the railroaded con-ass resolution. They will not stand to have Gloria stay in power indefinitely,” Reyes said.
Speaker Prospero Nograles said there was nothing wrong with protest actions provided it would be peaceful.
“It’s a guaranteed constitutional right to assemble peacefully and air protest. But peacefully it should be,” he added.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson said congressional allies of Malacanang should not always be pressured by the administration and instead serve and protect the people by burying Cha-cha.
“Lawmakers are representatives of the people that should serve the public. They should not insult the patience of their constituents by insisting on Charter change which is overwhelmingly opposed by majority of Filipinos,” said Joson.
Meanwhile,.a legislators’ initiative to rewrite the Constitution may push the stalling economy into reverse, a senior aide to President Arroyo warned Friday.
The House of Representatives passed a resolution this week to amend provisions of the 1987 charter.
The Senate has vowed to block the bid, which the opposition says is a ploy to keep Mrs. Arroyo in power after her term ends in June 2010.
“What concerns me... are the impacts of such political discussions on the economy,” Economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement.
He said personal consumption had fallen while capital formation had shrunk in the three months to March, leading to a 10-year low gross domestic product growth of 0.4 percent.
“These are directly linked to public sentiment. Simply put, an anxious outlook results in timid consumption and investment spending,” Recto said.
“There is an economic cost to political instability and political uncertainty. In this challenging time of the global economic crisis, let us not add more shocks to our resilience,” he said.
Arroyo allies have been pressing to re-write the constitution for years to help bring in much-needed capital to large segments of the economy that are now closed to foreign ownership.
The Philippines is due to hold a presidential election next May to choose a successor to Mrs. Arroyo, who is prevented from running again due to term limits under the constitution. AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment