‘Con-com money is good investment’

Malacañang defended the projected expenses of holding the Citizen’s Consultative Commission (con-com) by claiming it is a good investment, notwithstanding the possible refusal of Congress to support moves to amend the nation’s Charter.

Even if Congress refuses to dance to the music of Cha-cha, Presidential Management Staff chief Rigoberto Tiglao said the results of the work by the 50-member con-com could be used as a basis for amending the Constitution at any point in the future.

"This is just a study. It’s just like doing your homework. They are studying this so that, in case Congress decides to amend the Constitution, they would have something to work on," Tiglao said in an interview for the weekend radio program of Vice President Noli de Castro yesterday.

But even before the con-com gets down to work, some of its members have backed out from their appointed responsibility of drafting proposed amendments to the Charter.

Citing personal reasons, Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco has declined his appointment to sit as a member of the con-com.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye made the announcement yesterday but failed to elaborate on why Yuchengco had declined the appointment.

Yuchengco, of the YGC group of companies which include the pre-need Pacific Plans, was the second nominee to pull out from the con-com following Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who declined his appointment last Friday.

Duterte had asked to be excused from the appointment citing his additional workload as crisis manager for Southern and Central Mindanao and his role as chairman of the regional peace and order council for the former.

But although President Arroyo has made plain her desire to amend the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for a federal parliamentary system of government, Congress has not been entirely supportive of the move.

Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. and administration allies at the House of Representatives have embraced Charter change but the situation is exactly the opposite in the Senate.

A majority of the senators have rejected plans to amend the Constitution, arguing that such moves would not prosper without their support.

However, Tiglao claimed the results of the study of the con-com would still be very useful even if Congress rejects Cha-cha initiatives.

"Even if Congress rejects this, it should be considered as a huge investment for the future of the country," Tiglao said.

"Because the Constitution is a very important document. It is the basis for our rule of law. Even if we don’t amend the Constitution in its entirety, at least there is already a study that is important to our Constitution," he added.

Tiglao previously declared a P10 million budget for the con-com would be allocated with the possibility of a modest honorarium for its members.

He also reiterated the importance of the con-com since the commission would collate years of research from various sources on how to cure the perceived defects in the national Charter.

Mrs. Arroyo decided to respond to these calls, Tiglao said, by creating a body composed of people representing all sectors of society with the aim of helping Congress introduce the amendments.

But some lawmakers — for various reasons — have been critical of Charter change.

Even some members of the commission have not been spared criticism.

Yuchengco’s appointment apparently elicited adverse reactions from some lawmakers and disenfranchised plan holders of controversial pre-need firm Pacific Plans.

Critics pointed out problems at Yuchengco’s pre-need firm should exclude him from among the list of "people of unquestionable integrity and credibility" being asked to propose changes to the Constitution.

Yuchengco currently serves as President Arroyo’s special envoy to China, Japan and Korea. He was ambassador to China from 1986 to 1988, during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino, and then to Japan in 1995-1998 under then President Fidel Ramos.

Yuchengco was also appointed chairman of the Council of Private Sector Advisers to the Philippine Government on the Spratlys Issue from 1995-1998, as well as Presidential Assistant on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) matters from 1998-2000.

He is also chairman of the board of trustees of the Mapua Institute of Technology and the Philippine Ambassadors Foundation.

The alleged "victims" of the pre-need firm have been critical of Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment of Yuchengco to various positions.

Mrs. Arroyo personally mediated on behalf of Pacific Plans officials to appease disgruntled plan holders.

Plan holders have posted criticisms of Yuchengco on blog sites on the Internet.

They claim Mrs. Arroyo appointed Yuchengco to various posts out of gratitude for his help in installing her to power during the so-called EDSA II in January 2001.

The blog posts included that of Yvonne Chua of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), which noted the closeness between President Arroyo and Yuchengco, whom she refers to as "Uncle Al," while his daughters are called "my dear friends."

The President has named 39 members of the con-com so far, including Yuchengco and Duterte. Their demurral makes the commission short by 13 of its targeted 50 members.

Tiglao, on the other hand, said the President does not necessarily have to fill all 50 positions, based on the executive order that first created the commission. - With Aurea Calica