Cha-cha advocacy commission starts work, won’t push for ‘no-el’

The Malacañang-backed Charter Change Advocacy Commission (CCAC) formally began its work yesterday, saying that they would make sure that the public is well-informed on issues surrounding the proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita presented to Malacañang reporters the 11 CCAC members, nearly all of whom were part of the defunct Consultative Commission (con-com) that presented the draft Charter amendments to President Arroyo last year.

Former con-com secretary general Lito Monico Lorenzana, who is now a member of the CCAC, said the body would focus on informing the people of the three main Charter change issues — the shift to a unicameral parliamentary system, the federal form of government and the lifting of restrictive economic provisions.

"If you inform the Filipino people on subjects like Charter change, that is never a waste of time and money. When you inform the Filipino of his right to decide on well-thought-out arguments, it is never a waste and that is what we’re going to push through," he said.

CCAC member Atty. Romela Bengson said the commission would not tackle specific transitory provisions which would govern the fate of the President and other elective officials nor would it talk of the con-com’s controversial proposal to scrap the 2007 elections.

"It’s now time to focus on the three major issues so that our people will know the nuances with regards to the parliamentary system, and what is included in the shift to a federal autonomous region," she said.

League of Cities of the Philippines chief and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas said all signs are pointing to the timeliness of starting the process for constitutional reforms as public perception has changed significantly.

He said the people are already publicly arguing the merits and demerits of changing the Charter.

"It means that people are consciously getting educated, whether they are for or against it," he said, noting that the Filipino people are wary of politicians asking them to go to the streets and stage another EDSA because the so-called "People Power revolutions" have not produce tangible results for the masa (masses).

"If there has to be change, it must come from the people themselves, not from the politicians who are only aiming to grab power from the duly-constituted authority," he said.

Local government officials said the people are very unhappy with the present crop of politicians thus they are supporting the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

Politics is the culprit

For his part, League of Municipalities president and Binalonan, Pangasinan Mayor Ramon Guico Jr. said the widespread dissatisfaction with prevailing politics is the major reason why there is a need for constitutional amendments.

Guico said he fears that with the current politicians, the vicious cycle of corruption is bound to continue because incompetent people are elected to positions they do not deserve.

"Effectively changing the electoral system is one of the best ways to get rid of corrupt politicians and incompetent wannabes. The whole system of representation is wrong," Guico said.

Former con-com chairman Prof. Jose Abueva, who now acts as honorary head and adviser to the CCAC, said they will conduct a public information campaign to stress the urgency of Charter reforms.

"As you know, it’s been 19 years since the EDSA Revolution and the 1987 Constitution and democracy is not the (only) game in town," Abueva said. "There are many alternatives to democracy being proposed by various groups, which shows that if we do not really focus very expeditiously on changing our institutions of governance, we could be in dire trouble."

Mrs. Arroyo created the CCAC last Jan. 23 through Executive Order 495 and allowed it to have a maximum of 15 members and a lifespan of eight months.

The Arroyo administration is pushing for amendments to the Constitution through a constituent assembly or with the Senate and the House of Representatives sitting as one Charter-amending body.

Senators, however, are opposing the shift to a unicameral parliamentary system as it would cause the abolition of the Senate and its members merged with the House to form one parliament.

Trenas explained that the unicameral parliamentary system is favored by local authorities over the bicameral presidential system because local government units suffer when Congress fails to enact meaningful legislation.

He said the 117-strong organization of city mayors is supporting the move to gather six million signatures nationwide to start the people’s initiative. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Paolo Romero