GMA steps up Cha-cha drive

President Arroyo stepped up her campaign for Charter change (Cha-cha) yesterday amid the prevailing political crisis, stressing the need to overhaul the current political system as a key means for the country to survive.

During the oath-taking of the new officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Mrs. Arroyo challenged all Charter change advocates and supporters to join her in rallying the people behind the initiative and expedite the process of modifying the country’s form of government.

"Political change, economic stability, interfaith dialogue, the security of our homeland — all these are hallmarks of survival in this age and time," the President said.

"The people are completely exhausted with politics when so much remains to be done in the nation and in that land in Mindanao," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo said the need to rewrite the Constitution to pave the way for a federal parliamentary system would bring the government closer to the people.

"The people want a government that brings better service to them on a local basis with more power in the provinces and that’s why autonomy is very important as a prototype of other autonomies," she said.

The President noted the development of Mindanao would also make a big difference for a stronger and more progressive country.

Mrs. Arroyo has repeatedly stressed the need to amend the Constitution to change what she had described as a dysfunctional political system.

She said a federal parliamentary form of government was the only way to stop the persistent political bickering between the Executive and Legislative branches as well as empower the countryside.

"The people want more accountability by the politicians, the people want less power concentrated in Metro Manila. The people are dissatisfied with the current form of government, though they are unsure of what type of government should replace it," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"They have fears, and rightfully so, that there will be a rearranging of the deck chairs of the Titanic, but the boat will still sink. I say that we need a new ship, that in the end the people will decide the Charter change," she added.

The President assured the people they would be part of any moves to amend the Constitution.

"Please involve the people. The people must be heard," she said.

With the current political crisis, Mrs. Arroyo pointed out that important legislation remains pending because of the political standoff between the legislative and the executive branches of the government.

She particularly pointed out the pending anti-terrorism bill and the P1-trillion national budget for 2006.

Mrs. Arroyo said these two proposed measures were important to address the country’s security problems and provide more schools, better education, food and other basic services for the people.

"I am deeply concerned that the pressing issues of the people will be lost in the noise of our degenerated political system. I must repeat: we need a stronger, more responsive government to serve the people tomorrow and we need a stronger, more caring solution to poverty today," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo presided over the oath taking of ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy "Puti" Ampatuan and Vice Gov. Ansaruddin Adiong along with the members of the local assembly from Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The President has already named all 50 people who will sit in the Citizen’s Consultative Commission (con-com) to help Congress draft a new Constitution.

Lawmakers, for their part, said they would incorporate con-com recommendations into their draft for submission to the Senate for concurrence.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments in the House of Representatives, said they might be able to vote on the draft in the plenary and submit it to the Senate for concurrence.

Sen. Richard Gordon, on the other hand, said the problem does not lie in the present form of government but in the leadership.

Gordon said no amount of changing a political system would result in good governance if the government were run by corrupt officials. — With Delon Porcalla