Sigaw hits opposition ‘deception’

The Sigaw ng Bayan Movement (SBM) and local officials denounced the political opposition for deceiving the people of having many supporters, including Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, whom they said signed up for the movement "One Voice."

"This is a big insult to the intelligence of Filipino people. Not only is it a sacrilege, but the use of dirty tactics (like) using the name of the Cardinal is evil and betrays the real intention of the group," SBM spokesman Raul Lambino said.

Vidal, through his media liaison officer Monsignor Achilles Dacay, denied signing the One Voice manifesto.

Dacay said the Cardinal also did not express his support for the manifesto of One Voice, which former Consultative Commission chairman Dr. Jose Abueva criticized for being "elitist and anti-poor."

Lambino accused the opposition of fostering lies and he said the Filipino electorate is now well-informed on Charter change issues thanks to the extensive information drive jointly undertaken by SBM, the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and the Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com).

Lambino said Once Voice has committed a very serious breach of credibility and trust in the solicitation of support from the people by falsely adding to their list of supporters Cardinal Vidal.

ULAP, Sigaw and Adcom have completed a three-pronged information campaign in all but one of the 79 provinces, topping their consultations with fora in the cities of Angeles, Cagayan de Oro, Mandaluyong, Butuan, Parañaque, Lucena, Iloilo, Muntinlupa, Iligan and Bacolod.

Despite the presence of the opposition in Bacolod City, ULAP advocacy committee chairman and Davao del Norte provincial board member Allan Zulueta said many Negrenses support the call to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Since the signature drive for the People’s Initiative was launched in March, more than nine million electorates have already signed up to express their desire for the conduct of a national referendum to shift the country to a unicameral parliamentary government.

The opposition and One Voice, which is led by retired and resigned government officials and a few members of the church, launched an anti-Charter change movement in an effort to block the people’s initiative for Charter amendments from taking off.

Lambino said One Voice is instilling fear and doubts in the heart of the Filipinos because it is the only way they see to stem the tide of change that has been swelling from the first day, when SBM and ULAP began their drive for constitutional amendments through a people’s initiative.

"(SBM) is making a proposal to amend the Constitution. The voters who signed up are only exercising a basic freedom enshrined in the Constitution, freedom of speech. Those who are against it can vote in the plebiscite to register their opposition," said Lambino.

Lambino pointed out that the United State Constitution, the template upon which the Philippine Charter was patterned, has been amended 27 times.

He added that now is the right time to change the system of government because "their bicameral Congress has failed our people in the last 70 years."

ULAP president and Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado is set to meet with the SBM’s national executive board to discuss the issues aired by One Voice.