Enrile on moves to oust another president: Never again

JPE’s done with the drama of ousting presidents.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile vowed yesterday not to reprise a similar role he played 20 years ago in the ouster of a sitting president, saying this would only further plunge the country into deeper crisis.

"I will never, never again participate in any effort to unseat the incumbent president, no matter how she or he was elected, with the use of violence and force," Enrile told local and barangay executives during a forum on Charter change at the Carlos Albert session hall in Quezon City.

Enrile, defense minister of former President Ferdinand Marcos, defected along with then military vice chief Fidel Ramos. The move initiated events leading to the people power revolution that ousted the late dictator in 1986.

Enrile said his action to support Marcos’ ouster has brought the progress and development of the country at a standstill, and has increased the political woes facing the country today.

Political instability over President Arroyo’s supposed loss of credibility to run the country following electoral fraud charges, the continued rise of oil prices and protest actions calling for the President’s resignation confront Filipinos daily.

To address the country’s woes, Enrile said it is now time to amend the Constitution from a presidential to a parliamentary system similar to Singapore’s, wherein the president is elected by members of parliament.

When that time comes, he said the thorny issue of replacing the head of state would become a thing of the past because parliament can remove a prime minister by a vote of "no confidence" at any time.

As late as 2001, Enrile said he declined an invitation through an emissary from the camp of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to join moves to oust then President Joseph Estrada.

He recalled that when Marcos was ousted from office, President Corazon Aquino abolished the 1973 Constitution, set up a revolutionary government and crafted what he called a "flawed" Constitution that is the cause of the current political crisis.

According to Enrile, the 1987 Constitution provided for a presidential system of government but allowed a multiparty system that should only be adopted in a parliamentary system of government.

Under the 1935 Constitution, the lawmaker said a system that allowed only two parties — Liberal and Nacionalista — ensured the election of presidents was well guarded because each party had representatives at the precinct level to question any irregularities.

With a multiparty system, the poll-watching system became more complex and difficult to monitor.