Two-chamber Congress a waste of money — ULAP

Mayors and governors yesterday reiterated their call for a shift in the form of government from a bicameral presidential system to a unicameral parliamentary system so the Philippines will not be left behind by its neighbors.

Officials of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) said yesterday that the country’s American-style bicameral system has led to the duplication of functions, waste of public funds and failure to produce legislation that would propel economic development following the declaration of Philippine independence in 1946.

League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) official and Binalonan, Pangasinan Mayor Ramon Guico said the bicameral setup fueled the emergence of a divided government, the abuse by and arrogance of people in power and in recurring legislative gridlocks characterized by unproductive lawmaking by Congress.

LMP is the biggest organization of local government officials under ULAP.

"The record since 1946 has been one of failure because of a divided government," Guico said. "We bewail the grinding poverty of our people and underdevelopment but fail to promote a solution."

He said local officials are taking the lead in pushing for a shift to a unicameral parliamentary government "because we see in this new structure the solution to prevent the Philippines from being left behind much farther by our wealthy neighbors."

Guico said making this shift is urgent in the face of the resurgence of the Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors, notably Vietnam, which has rapidly recovered from decades of war to post economic growth estimated at 7.8 percent this year.

Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, meanwhile, lashed out at the opposition for issuing "irresponsible statements" that he said are "designed to influence the Supreme Court (SC) on the fate of the people’s initiative" following the filing of a petition for certiorari and mandamus by the Sigaw ng Bayan Movement (SBM)and ULAP for the SC to reverse the ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) rejecting the petition.

Evardone said the opposition is trying to condition the minds of the people in case of their possible defeat in the SC case. He was reacting to a statement issued by Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos that a favorable ruling directing the Comelec to conduct the plebiscite would divide the country.

"We should respect the integrity, independence and fairness of the Supreme Court. We think the opposition is sensing defeat because of the resounding support of the people on the initiative to change the system of government," Evardone said.

He asked parties opposed to Charter change to be more circumspect. He also asked them to avoid issuing inflammatory and threatening statements.

According to Evardone, such "irresponsible statements" are an indication of anti-Charter change groups’ "desperate efforts to influence, if not bamboozle," the Supreme Court.

Guico reminded opposition legislators standing against Charter change that the overwhelming sentiment of Filipinos in the countryside is that there must be change in the structure of government: "We don’t need any more legislative investigation meant solely to promote their political ambitions."

"The wasteful use of public money by the House of Representatives and the Senate, because they duplicate each other’s work, is an indictment of this system," he added.

He also cited the failure of Congress to enact anti-terrorism legislation despite the need to fight domestic and international terrorists that threaten national interests and the security of Filipinos.