Last Monday afternoon, I did a lot of firsts, something I had never done before - fly from Cebu to Clark in Pampanga via Cebu Pacific Air ATR-72-500, also the first time I flew on this turbo-prop aircraft as I had a meeting there. Despite its being only a turbo-prop plane, it was only an hour and 45 minutes flight to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in what used to be the giant US Air Base.
As it was the first time ever I landed in Clark, it was only then that I realized the magnitude of this airport facility that the Americans left. It has a parallel runway, built for huge US military planes like the C-5 Galaxy and therefore, its runway is very tough. No doubt, Clark should be the International Airport for Metro Manila which is around 100 kilometers away. You might say that it’s too far, but look at the Chep Lap Kok International Airport in Hong Kong, all they did was put a dedicated railway from downtown Hong Kong to the airport, which is a mere 30-minute ride away.
This huge aviation facility is a big waste because the planners of this country is still too Metro Manila-centric and therefore, focused on building those airport terminals in Manila despite its obvious runway limitation. This is why the Philippines has stagnated vis-à-vis the rest of ASEAN, except for Myanmar!
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The members of the House of Representatives have taken a nonchalant attitude towards the cries and pleas of the Filipino people many of whom have taken to the streets to protest their unilateral move to turn themselves into a Constituent Assembly (con-ass) so they could amend the 1987 Constitution. God knows when they get to open this Pandora’s Box. What do you think would happen to this sick country when they start debating about term limits huh? More street marches?
Accordingly, the real reason why Congress is pushing for a con-ass is to change the form of government into a Parliamentary one, because when this will be ratified, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is prohibited to seek another term of office, can still run for a seat in Parliament. Of course, these are only rumors, but as they say, where there is smoke, there must be a fire.
Our members of Congress were elected into their respective seats purportedly to represent the people of their districts. So the question we should ask from the North District of my good friend, Rep. Raul del Mar is whether his constituents want a Parliamentary form of government. I doubt if this is what the people who live in the North District want. It is unfortunate that Rep. Raul del Mar presided on this very unpopular exercise of turning Congress into a constituent assembly. Now whether this will affect the candidacy of Raul’s daughter Cutie del Mar, is still to be reckoned with.
There is no question that as a Congressman, Rep. Raul del Mar has served his district well, especially with his very long term in the House and the many benefits, like his medical programs that have greatly helped the poorest of our poor. But the issue of turning Congress into a constituent assembly was never even tabled or discussed even in the barangay level. So in this time when Congress is on a recess, Rep. Raul must explain to his constituents what this means. With elections around the corner, it is time for him to listen to us.
If there is anything that Rep. Raul del Mar has failed to do, it is that in his most busy moments, he failed to grasp the current high priced fuel situation in Cebu. This includes the congressmen from Cebu who have not issued any statements against the Big 3 Oil companies who have arbitrarily priced Cebu’s pump prices between P5 to P7 higher on a per liter of gasoline or diesel fuel vis-à-vis the prices in Metro Manila or the rest of the Philippines.
At the very least, this situation should trigger a Congressional or Senate hearing. Alas, the Senate has time to haul Dr. Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili for having their sexual tryst documented on video. Now all the public knows about this. The Senate even gave time for Manila’s top socialites who were gypped by one of them. These are the very rich who are not careful with their excess money. But for Cebuanos who have to pay high fuel prices everytime they gas up, there is no Senate, not even a Congressional hearing. What’s wrong with our Cebuano legislators? Have they stayed in Manila too long that they have lost touch of the suffering of their constituents?
We would like to see Cebuano Congressmen close ranks on this issue and come up with a Congressional hearing and haul the officials of the Big 3 Oil companies to explain to them why they are committing “Daylight Robbery” against Cebuano motorists who have pay the highest fuel prices in this country. Let’s hope our friends in Congress will act on this as soon as possible.