Con-ass is dead, ad-com chairman says

Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com) chair Lito Monico Lorenzana agreed yesterday with Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. that the proposed constituent assembly (con-ass) mode of amending the 1987 Constitution was no longer feasible.

"I tend to agree this time with Senator Pimentel that con-ass is dead. It is both understandable that if Senate refuses to act on a Charter change vote, (Charter amendments through) con-ass and con-con (constitutional convention) are dead," Lorenzana said.

Pimentel said in a statement that he doubts the ongoing dialogue between senators and congressmen on Charter change will yield positive results, given the hard-line positions taken by both sides.

According to Pimentel, the dialogue is doomed unless the House drops its stand that any amendments to the Constitution may be approved by Congress convened into a constituent assembly and voting jointly.

Pimentel said senators will not change their position that amendments to the Charter must be voted on separately by both chambers.

However, even if both con-ass and con-con are already considered "dead" routes to amending the Charter, Lorenzana said the third option — amending the Constitution through a people’s initiative — is still "very much alive."

"The people’s initiative is very much alive. It has even isolated the Senate and has reduced (senators) to being just minor actors in a minor discourse," Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana said the people behind the Charter change movement are banking on the support of senators and members of the House of Representatives who favor federalism.

"I know that a lot of federalists in the Senate and the House of Representatives are just itching for political reforms," he said.

Earlier, Lorenzana said groups pushing for Charter change are now in a "full-court press" to push for a plebiscite and the formation of an interim parliament by next year.

"We hope that as soon as a petition for a plebiscite is brought before the Comelec, it will act appropriately. We are now pushing for a full-court press for an interim parliament by next year," he said.

Lorenzana also said that the 15-member ad-com, the Union of Local Authorities in the Philippines (ULAP) and the Sigaw ng Bayan, which are all advocating Charter change via a people’s initiative, have converged efforts to push for a plebiscite and the formation of an interim parliament.

According to Lorenzana, the interim parliament would continue the work of amending the 1987 Charter by convening itself into a constituent assembly.

Lorenzana said the ad-com is also confident that the Supreme Court will reverse its position on the people’s initiative and will act favorably on their petition for a plebiscite.

"If it goes to the Supreme Court, we are confident that it will also act for a plebiscite. The Supreme Court cannot close its eyes and ears to the almost nine million Filipinos who are for Charter change," he said.

Meanwhile, administration lawmakers said the recent survey showing that six out of every 10 Filipinos favor Charter change via a people’s initiative validates the 8.9 million signatures gathered for the people’s initiative.

In a joint statement, Reps. Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City and Federico Sandoval II of Malabon-Navotas said the results of the survey conducted by the Center for Issues and Advocacy proves that Charter change has the support of the people.

The CIA survey conducted from May 15 to 29 showed that 64 percent or 1,536 of the 2,400 respondents from all social classes now favor Charter change through a people’s initiative for political and economic stability.

"The senators’ anti-Charter change stance obviously failed to influence the people to reject moves to amend the Constitution," Domogan said. "The people are now more determined to pursue Charter change for they see it as the only way to overhaul the system (and) free the country from the current political limbo."

Sandoval said "we should continue to discuss Charter change in various fora to enlighten the people and clarify the negative issues raised by Charter change detractors. The discussions have caused a turnaround which now makes support (for a people’s initiative) far bigger than expected."