House, local leaders seek urgent shift to parliamentary government

The majority in the House of Representatives and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) launched yesterday a major "strategic coalition" and called for an immediate shift to a unicameral parliamentary government.

In an 18-point Joint Declaration signed at the Manila Hotel, the coalition said the political crisis is damaging the economy as left- and right-wing elements try to bring down the government and establish a junta.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., a long-time proponent of a shift to parliamentary government, led the House Majority Coalition in signing the document with ULAP headed by Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, who is also president of the League of Provinces.

De Venecia and Aumentado said the document presents a vision for the Philippines to achieve "comparable economic prosperity with our neighbors by 2015," and a program to shift the country away from the gridlock, crises, costly elections, heavy indebtedness and social injustice produced by decades of bicameral presidential system.

"We just launched a historic and strategic partnership to bring about urgent political and economic reforms and a stable and vibrant representative democracy through constitutional reforms," De Venecia said.

The coalition said the parliamentary system makes for effective governance by fusing executive and legislative powers in the national parliament, where the majority coalition or party elects the prime minister who will lead the government and the Cabinet.

The parliamentary system has been responsible for the rise of the economic powers of Europe and also of Asia, particularly Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and most recently India, the coalition added.

The coalition urged Congress to determine immediately the most expeditious and least expensive mode of introducing specific amendments to the Constitution and submit these to a national plebiscite.

"This shift presents the single most fundamental change to strengthen our democracy and bring the Filipino people on the path to sustained economic development," the document said.

The coalition said the term of President Arroyo "must be respected" and urged the lifting of term limits for local officials and members of the legislature, and that the three-year term be extended to five years.

"This is in keeping with the five-year tenure of most parliamentary governments, and to ensure that locally initiated development programs are fully sustained," the leaders said.

This declaration contradicts the so-called "five options" for Mrs. Arroyo’s political fate mentioned by De Venecia in a recent speech before the Manila Overseas Press Club.

Though one of those options would allow Mrs. Arroyo to finish her tenure, which ends in 2010, at least two alternatives call for shortening her term.

Jose Abueva, Con-con chairman, vice chairman Victor Ortega, Majority Leader Alfredo Abueg, and The STAR columnist Carmen Pedrosa were among those who signed the document.

"We believe that the term limits for local officials and members of the legislature or national parliament should be lifted, and the three-year term be changed to five years in keeping with the five-year tenure of most parliamentary governments, to ensure that locally-initiated development programs are fully sustained," read the document.

"We believe that holding elections once every five years under this proposal will undo the cycle of costly elections that have become among the root causes of corruption."

Under the present Constitution, members of the House, governors, mayors and other local officials have a term of office of three years and are limited to three terms.

Senators, on the other hand, are limited to two terms of six years each.

These officials can run again after a break of one term.

In prescribing the term limits, the framers of the Constitution intended to dismantle political dynasties.

However, clever politicians circumvent the prohibition by fielding their wives, sons or relatives for one term and reclaiming their old posts after a short break.

Aside from extending their tenure of office to five years, lawmakers and local officials can be in office forever, theoretically, as there are no limitations on the number of terms they can seek under their joint declaration. — Jess Diaz, Mike Frialde