Roco: Attend to Pinoys’ stomachs first before amending Charter

BAGUIO CITY – Declared presidential aspirant Raul Roco said yesterday that proposals to amend the Constitution should not be prioritized before Filipinos’ more urgent need for "daily bread."

Speaking before students and supporters at the Baguio Central University and St. Louis University here, Roco said that some politicians’ proposal to change the form of government would do little to improve the lot of the Filipino.

"Even if our system changes to the parliamentary mode tomorrow, the people will remain poor," Roco said, reiterating that a referendum should be conducted to finally determine if the people favor Charter change.

"What the government must (rush) to accomplish (are projects in) education and health," he said.

Echoing what Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin declared during anniversary rites for the people power 2 uprising, Roco said there is a more urgent need for reform among government officials rather than in the form of government.

Roco said volunteerism could help reform the country as it did in South Africa against apartheid and in India when Mohandas Gandhi was fighting the British empire.

"The country has hope when people stand up for their beliefs ... (And) if the Filipino people will support us, our volunteerism and patriotism must continue (beyond the elections)," Roco said.

He also defended the "Volunteer 4 Roco" movement, which was launched on Tuesday, against charges that it was politicking.

"All Filipinos have the right to associate and it is not illegal," he said even as he cited the "inching" growth of his Aksyon Demokratiko party.

He said Aksyon already has some 38,000 card-bearing members, mostly from the youth sector, but some lawmakers and local government leaders have already expressed their interest in joining the party.

Aksyon has three vice governors, a hundred town councilors and 47 mayors all over the country.

Among the politicians who want to join or have joined the party are Sen. Joker Arroyo and two congressmen from the Bicol region. Two more congressmen also want to join Aksyon, Roco said.

At the same time, Roco reiterated that Aksyon has forged an alliance with the Reporma party of former executive secretary Renato de Villa and the Probinsiya Muna Development Initiative (PROMDI) of former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña.

On Wednesday, Aksyon, Reporma and PROMDI declared that they support a proposal to hold a referendum to determine once and for all if Filipinos want the Constitution amended.

The three parties pointed out that the Constitution has a provision that Congress "may, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, call a constitutional convention or, by a majority vote of all its members, submit to the electorate the question of calling such a convention."

To save on costs, the three parties suggested that the referendum be held simultaneously with the May 2004 general elections. Questions may be printed on the ballot asking voters if they want the Constitution amended or not and, if so, by what method. – Artemio Dumlao