Anti-labor implications of any Cha-Cha

The present Constitution is the most pro-labor, the most pro-poor, the most pro-Filipino and most nationalistic of all the seven constitutions that have been so far ordained and promulgated by the Filipino people, in the long and painful course of our history and struggles as a nation. Any attempt to amend, alter, dilute, tamper with any of its provisions could only inflict damage on the basic rights, welfare and well-being of the masses. Any such change, in whatever guise and mask, via any mode or process, emanating from any sector or vested interests, could only operate to grab what we presently enjoy, albeit merely from a constitutional and political paradigm.

This Constitution was framed and drafted by men and women of unsullied honor and great nationalism, persons of high integrity and valor like Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. Blas F. Ople, Justice Regalado Maambong, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, Sister Christine Tan, Christian Monsod, and Cecilia Munoz Palma. These great and venerable patriots had only the highest interests of the Filipinos in mind when they put into such a landmark political document, the ultimate aspirations of the sovereign Filipino people. Today, those who wish to tinker with such a sacred charter are motivated by not so lofty purposes.

This Constitution has mentioned “social justice”, a number of times and starts with a declaration that the peoples' most important dream is to build a just and humane society. Whereas the past constitutions were promulgated “in order to establish a government,” and thus very political in perspectives, the current fundamental law proclaims that the ultimate dream of every Filipino is a society that is both humane and just, and therefore, social in orientation, pro-people, pro-masses, pro-poor because majority belongs to that sector. To change any of the articles and section of this magna carta would be anti-people and anti-labor.

This Constitution has made sure that the exploitation, use and development of our natural resources, including ownership of land and other gifts of the Creator, should be in the hands of the Filipinos exclusively. It also makes sure that the exercise of professions is an exclusive prerogative of citizens. The purveyors of Cha-Cha now seek to abrogate this strong preservation of our patrimony, and blatantly want to open the floodgates of foreign ownership and utilization of what rightfully belong to us alone. They are, in effect, acting, in the interests of foreigners and not for our people. We should oppose them with all our might and collective sense of outrage.

There are many safeguards of the basic rights of workers in the present fundamental law. Once we allow any attempt to dilute these protectionists fundamental policies, there shall be no end to the tinkering of our Constitution. We shall then wake up one day only to discover, much to our disillusionment and anguish that the Pearl of the Orient Seas is now in the hands of aliens and foreign interests. The millions of workers in this country should therefore stand together, and protect our fundamental law from being ravaged by socio-economic predators preying on our national patrimony with alarming boldness and callous greed. We had been fooled, cheated and abused for too many times… This one should meet our united and strongest condemnation.