A column from the past 'Preparing for 1998'

I am glad that former President Aquino has come out openly that she would lead street protests if Congress moved to extend President Ramos’ term by amending the Constitution. Indeed, it is not for politicians to decide what should happen, or who should be president of the Philippines in 1998. Neither is it a matter for decision by former presidents. Or even by current presidents. President Ramos has been praised for continuing to say that he will step down in 1998. What is not being said is that the praise could also be a form of pressure on President Ramos to create a climate of opinion that would inhibit him or those who would support him from making a bid in 1998.

I think there is a fundamental flaw about this reasoning because it preempts a prerogative that rightfully belongs to the electorate rather than to politicians or the press, for that matter. Filipinos at large, specifically registered voters, are empowered to decide whether or not to amend the Constitution and this is clearly stated in the following portions of the 1987 Constitution: Sec. 2, Art. XVII, Sec 4 par. 2 and Sec. 2 (I), Art. IX-C, ‘bid: (CNP: The latter is crucial because it deals directly with an act by the people). The Commission on Elections shall enforce and administer all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of an election plebiscite, initiative, referendum and recall.

For the last few months, the idea of a people’s initiative and plebiscite to amend the Constitution has been deliberately distorted as unconstitutional, divisive, ill-timed and undesirable by obviously political partisans.

The thrust of the criticisms has been against the extension of the term of President Ramos making it suspiciously the work of other presidential candidates. But there is a far more insidious effect of such criticism that is not being confronted and that is, the struggle on who decides the leadership of the country, Filipinos at large, acting as citizens, have the right and power to change the Constitution as they see fit. Filipinos, as citizens of the land, not vested interests or powerful institutions, have a right to decide what happens in 1998. That is ordained by the Constitution. That is people power. That is democratic.

One of the options for 1998 is to make it possible for President Ramos to put his government on the block and let the electorate decide whether he has done a good job and that having done a good job, he ought to continue his program of government. I suspect, and there will be many who will concur with me that those who would not want Mr. Ramos to continue with the presidency are those who want to replace him themselves even if they are unqualified and would put the country’s progress during the last six years in jeopardy. They are unperturbed by the anomaly that among all elected officials of the land, the President is the only official who cannot be reelected….

Those who oppose amendments are free to register their opposition when the plebiscite comes but what they must not do, and this is true for former presidents and current presidents, is to deny citizens the right to a people’s initiative. It is a prerogative vested on them by the Constitution. I have said it many times before in this column that ordinary citizens must not allow themselves to be bullied by those who threaten them with the ‘common opinion’ peddled in sections of the media that those who would opt to amend the Constitution are against the Constitution. On the contrary, those who would not allow for any change in the Constitution, whether or not it would mean an extension of the term of President Ramos, can be said to be against the Constitution…           

In the last few weeks I have gone around talking to people about their views on 1998. A great number of those I have spoken to have said that they would sooner see President Ramos re-elected rather than have an incompetent and bumbling figure like Vice-President Estrada take over the reins of government.

Admittedly, the people I talked to are the more intelligent sector of the population. I am not disputing the SWS survey that puts Mr. Estrada ahead of all candidates, but 1 am not prepared to give in to such wanton reasoning that he is the best candidate to win in 1998. I may not be a pollster but I have lived in the world long enough to appreciate that even polls are not always more truthful than one’s personal experience of opinion especially when this is freely given.

It is a recurrent view expressed by quite a number of people that President Ramos should be enabled to run again to stop Estrada. In the same breath the same people who favor President Ramos, following the cue from selected opinion makers in media, say that he cannot run again because the Constitution does not allow him and that amending the Constitution is “bad”….

For those who truly want to change the way we conduct politics in this country, the task of education is a most formidable challenge…An ideal campaign would be one in which all those who understand the perils of an ill-qualified candidate gaining the highest office would come forward and give, time, money and effort publicly to put their convictions to a test.”

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I have excerpted this column for limitations of space. It makes the point that we relive our past each time we propose Charter change. As a former US colony, the presidential system was imposed on us and it has not changed since.

As for a people’s initiative, that too, is an impossible dream. I have since changed my mind about the people’s initiative mode because two exercises have proven it is not meant to be. Charter change is an issue of leadership and that leadership asserted through Congress in constituent assembly that will propose amendments and ultimately decided by the sovereign people in a plebiscite.