Lakas OKs shift to parliamentary system

The national directorate of the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats approved on Saturday night the proposed shift to the parliamentary system and other Charter changes that Speaker Jose de Venecia presented.

The directorate also approved a motion in support of President Arroyo fulfilling her mandate to serve until June 30, 2010 despite the repeated call of former President Fidel Ramos for her to step down middle of next year to allow for a shift to full parliamentary system.

It was not known how Ramos reacted to the vote or whether he was still insisting on his call.

Meanwhile, Malacañang and Lakas leaders including Ramos, have agreed to a timetable for the country’s shift to a unicameral parliamentary system this year, starting with a two-pronged approach in finalizing a draft Constitution followed by a plebiscite in June, and ending with a new form of government in place by July.

Just last Monday, the former leader repeated his plea for the nth time, saying the shift to a British-style parliamentary form of government could resolve the lingering political crisis and enable the country to move forward.

"The Lakas-CMD party will bring us to victory in our campaign for Charter reform and to transform the Philippines into a second world country in the next ten years," said De Venecia, who presided over the national directorate meeting at Malacañang’s Heroes Hall.

The meeting was capped by the issuance of a two-page Statement of Consensus, which said Mrs. Arroyo, De Venecia and Ramos had "affirmed in the presence of party leaders their abiding unity" behind a resolve to push the country towards political stability and sustained economic growth.

The President is chairman of Lakas, Ramos is its chairman emeritus, being its founder, while De Venecia is its president.

The statement further said the three leaders "expressed their resolve not to allow current political differences (to) create any rift or project any image or impression of disunity among them."

The party leaders approved De Venecia’s proposed seven strategic Charter amendments, including the planned shift to the French-type unicameral parliamentary system by 2007.

Ramos is against this form of government, which has a powerful president, assisted by a prime minister. It would preserve the "status quo for four more years" and would not result in genuine reforms, he said.

De Venecia told The STAR, "President Arroyo exercised great statesmanship and humility in pushing for this historic and crucial constitutional reform that would finally put an end to gridlocks and unnecessary quarrels in government that hamper governance and delivery of basic services to the people.

"She will be assisted by a prime minister, who heads the first unicameral parliament," he added.

The other amendments approved by the Lakas directorate included lifting the term limits for local officials, banning the practice of elective officials of changing political parties, creation of autonomous regions as a step towards an eventual shift to a federal system, and the easing of economic restrictions to allow foreign investments to develop the national economy.

The ruling party directorate vowed to pursue Cha-cha (Charter change) either through con-ass (constituent assembly), with the House and the Senate proposing the amendments, or through the people’s initiative that sympathetic local officials are planning to launch.

The Cha-cha effort has been stymied in the Senate, which has refused to do Cha-cha through con-ass.

On the other hand, the people’s initiative mode of amending the Constitution is questionable since according to legal experts, it cannot be used without an enabling law. — With Paolo Romero