Congressmen eye term extension under revised Charter

Members of the House of Representatives are planning to extend their term of office by at least six months if they succeed in amending the Constitution by themselves and without the participation of the Senate.

The six-month extension is contained in Resolution 1285 that proposes a package of amendments, some of which are different from those contained in Resolution 1230, which the House constitutional amendments committee approved on Tuesday.

However, Resolution 1285, of which Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. is principal author, appears to enjoy wider support in the House than Resolution 1230, authored by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula, constitutional amendments committee chairman.

As of yesterday, one party-list representative who plans to sign the Pichay measure told The STAR that he saw 191 signatures on it. The Jaraula resolution had 173 signatures.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Majority Leader Prospero Nograles signed both resolutions, but Nograles said he was shifting his support to Pichay’s Charter change (Cha-cha) proposals.

The majority leader said the proposals could be introduced as amendments to the already-approved Jaraula version of the revised Constitution when this is taken up in plenary session possibly starting next week.

Under Pichay’s version of the rewritten Charter, the next election would be for the interim parliament and local officials, and it would be deferred to second Monday of November 2007 instead of second Monday of May next year as the present Constitution prescribes.

Interim parliament members and local executives elected in November next year would assume office on Jan. 2, 2008. Their terms would expire on June 30, 2010, which is also the date of expiration of the tenure of President Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro.

Effectively, Pichay’s proposals would extend the stay in office of House members, governors, mayors and other local officials, and possibly the 12 senators elected in 2001 by six months, from June 30, 2007, when their terms are to expire, up to the end of next year.

Minority Leader Francis Escudero said the term extension is perhaps one of the features of Pichay’s version of the revised Charter that his colleagues find attractive.

"Another is the retention of the party-list system. That’s why some of the signatories (of Resolution 1285) are party-list representatives," he said.

In contrast, the Jaraula version provides that incumbent senators and congressmen would become automatic members of interim parliament until June 30, 2007. It does not fix the date of the next election, leaving that to the interim parliament.

As for party-list representation, Resolution 1230 also gives interim parliament members the discretion to provide for it by law.

In both versions, Mrs. Arroyo would continue to function as both head of state and head of government with undiminished powers, except those she may delegate to the interim prime minister.

In Pichay’s version, Vice President De Castro would continue to enjoy his job as the country’s No. 2 official.

The Jaraula-proposed amendments would have De Castro as an ordinary member of parliament and of the Cabinet until his term expires on June 30, 2010. There is no vice president in a parliamentary system.

Both versions scrap the present limitation of three successive terms imposed on House members and local officials. This means that those who would otherwise not be qualified to run next year because of the term limit can seek the same posts under the envisioned Charter changes.

Escudero said the majority bloc led by De Venecia and Nograles is in a quandary on what to do with the Pichay amendments.

"Resolution 1285 clearly enjoys wider support from our colleagues. If that one is substituted for the resolution principally authored by Rep. Jaraula, that would embarrass Rep. Jaraula and his constitutional amendments committee," he said.

Escudero also said members of the minority who signed or are about to sign the Pichay measure are still of the belief that the House cannot bypass the Senate on Cha-cha.

"We are for constitutional reforms, but we believe that under the present Constitution, it is not possible for the House to ignore the Senate on amendments," he said.

Among members of the minority who have expressed their intention to add their signatures to Resolution 1285 are Juan Pablo Angara of Aurora, Justin Marc Chipeco of Laguna, Bem Noel of An Waray, and Mujiv Hataman of Anak Mindanao.

Term extension was originally proposed by the defunct presidential consultative commission (con-com) on Cha-cha.

The commission had suggested that the May 2007 elections be scrapped and the terms of members of Congress and local officials be extended up to June 30, 2007 to pave the way for a smooth transition to the parliamentary system.

However, former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva, who headed the commission, subsequently admitted that the combination of no-elections and term extension was really aimed at getting the support of lawmakers and local officials for the Cha-cha initiative to ensure its success.

Former President Fidel Ramos had criticized no-el and term extension as a "monumental blunder" and claimed that President Arroyo had supported the con-com recommendation.

In a related development, Deputy Speaker Gerry Salapuddin and Eastern Samar Rep. Marcelino Libanan denounced the continued refusal of senators to cooperate with congressmen on Cha-cha.

In a joint statement, the two said by their intransigence, senators "are putting the country on a suicidal course" and are letting their "anti-GMA sentiments prevail over national interest."

"They should recognize the flaws and gridlocks in our present system of government, and give Cha-cha a chance. Cha-cha is not about anyone’s political survival. It is for the greater stability of our political system. Senators should stop muddling the issue to mislead the public," they said.