GMA, JDV must admit Cha-cha a ‘lost cause,’ says Pimentel

President Arroyo and Speaker Jose de Venecia should admit that Charter change is now a "lost cause," Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said yesterday.

Pimentel noted that the administration’s chances of amending the 1987 Constitution through a constituent assembly before next year’s elections have become even dimmer as some of its allies have abandoned the "Cha-cha train."

"With hardcore legislative allies of the Arroyo administration now junking the constituent assembly scheme, there is no way it (Cha-cha) will move from square one and prosper," he said.

According to Pimentel, the administration suffered another blow in its so-called "Plan B" – amending the Constitution through a constituent assembly with or without the participation of the Senate – now that staunch administration allies like Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra and Davao del Sur Rep. Douglas Cagas are supposedly convinced that the effort is just a waste of time, money and energy and thus, should be shelved.

Pimentel pointed out that Mitra has junked the planned constituent assembly in favor of a constitutional convention.

Cagas, he said, is urging leaders of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats to shift their attention to forming a strong lineup of senatorial and congressional candidates in the 2007 polls and neutralize the threat of an opposition onslaught.

The Senate is opposed to the plan of the House to convene a constituent assembly on its own, as well as on the issue of voting on the proposed amendments jointly.

While there are a number of senators who are in favor of the constituent assembly mode of amending the Charter, they believe that voting on amendments must be done separately by the two chambers.

Specifically, Pimentel noted that even senators allied with the administration like Juan Ponce Enrile and Edgardo Angara have taken the position that the two chambers should vote separately on Charter amendments.

A number of senators have also called for discussions on the constituent assembly to take place after the May 2007 elections so that members of Congress would by then have a fresh mandate.

Senators Joker Arroyo, Angara, Richard Gordon and Pimentel have stated that there is just not enough time to undertake Charter change with the election period just a few months away.

They pointed out that all members of Congress seeking re-election are already convinced that there will be elections and are busy preparing for the campaign.

Assuming that House leaders will succeed in railroading the passage of the resolution on the proposed constituent assembly, Pimentel said the senators and other interested parties will lose no time in questioning its constitutionality before the Supreme Court.

Pimentel also denounced the reported attempt of the Palace and House leadership to buy support of the congressmen for the proposed constituent assembly by promising to give them generous campaign funds and pork barrel privileges for their reelection campaign.

"Money, money, money seems to be a common refrain by which this morally bankrupt, illegitimate and illegal administration entices its supporters to rally behind its call for anything," Pimentel said.

"Since the GMA and JDV moves to amend the Constitution via a constituent assembly that only the House will do are obviously contrary to the tradition, the law and the Constitution, they want to cover things up by offering oodles of money," he added.

"I can only hope that the members of the House would wake up to the tragic consequences of the GMA-JDV plot that would benefit only themselves, not the people, before it is too late," Pimentel said. — Marvin Sy