Palace names six more con-com members

Malacañang announced yesterday the inclusion of six more members of the Citizen’s Consultative Commission (con-com) scheduled for an initial meeting today.

So far, none of them have been picked from the political opposition.

The six new names brought the number of designated con-com members to 39, just 11 short the 50 target number.

Explaining the absence of any names from the opposition, Presidential Management Staff chief Rigoberto Tiglao said there had been no applicants and nominations coming from them.

"I don’t remember anyone volunteering for, or being nominated by any other group. If you look at the executive order, you could apply yourself but also you’ve got to be nominated by some other groups," Tiglao said.

"Unfortunately, there was no opposition or no personality identified with the opposition who seem to be interested," he added.

Tiglao said they would have wanted to include members of the opposition but Executive Order 453 which created the con-com was drafted when the opposition was "obviously in a different mode of thinking" during the selection process.

Named new members of the commission are Bro. Rolando Dizon, director-at-large of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines and member of De La Salle University board of trustees; Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte; Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento, the secretary general of the League of Cities of the Philippines; and Philippine Bar Association (PBA) president Rita Linda Jimeno.

Dr. Emily Marohombsar, a member of the Philippine peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the first Muslim woman to have been appointed president of the Mindanao State University was also appointed, along with former Southern Leyte congressman Sergio Apostol, chairman and chief executive officer of the Philippine National Oil Company-Energy Development Corp.

The 39 designated con-com members will informally meet today at the Presidential Guest House with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita hosting the welcome ceremonies.

Tiglao said the PMS will brief the new commissioners of their tasks ahead.

"This is a clamor. The setting up of this commission has been a clamor of a lot of groups. We think that these members here are Filipinos of unquestionable integrity, they are patriots," Tiglao said.

"If you look at their backgrounds, they are not thinking of any short-term gains or they are not looking at the near horizon here. They are looking really to the future of the country, perhaps 10 to 20 years," Tiglao added.

Tiglao said the con-com would act as catalyst for non-partisan debates and give recommendations to the President before its formal conveyance to Congress.

The PMS chief initially announced the 33 selected members of the con-com, three of whom are columnists of The STAR.

Tiglao said the appointed commissioners represented all the interests of various sectors in the Philippine society.

Tiglao added Mrs. Arroyo may announce more names soon since Executive Order No. 453 signed by the President last Aug. 9 mandates that all the 50 positions in the commission must be filled.

The commission was created to study possible amendments to the Constitution, particularly on the shift to a parliamentary federal system of government and revising the so-called protectionist provisions of the Charter.

The members of the commission have been tasked to go around the country to consult and gather additional input from various sectors and stakeholders.

The con-com is expected to finish its work by December and submit its final report before the President along with a draft of the Constitution with transitional provisions.

The same report would be forwarded to Congress for consideration.

In her State of the Nation Address last July 25, Mrs. Arroyo called on Congress to convene into a constituent assembly to tackle amendments to the Constitution to shift to a parliamentary form of government.

Mrs. Arroyo pointed out Charter change was included from the start in the Medium Term Public Investment Program of her administration from 2005 to 2010.

Former University of the Philippines president and constitutionalist Dr. Jose Abueva leads the initial list of members.

Apart from STAR columnists Carmen Pedrosa, Jarius Bondoc and Alexander Magno, other members of the body include Anthony Acevedo, Ronald Adamat, Emmanuel Angeles, Rene Azurin, Jose Bello Jr., Ma. Romela Bengzon, Francis Chua, Donald Dee, Gilberto Duavit, Gerardo Espina Sr., Pablo Garcia, Nelia Gonzales, Joji Ilagan-Bian, Gonzalo Jurado, Jose Leviste Jr., James Marty Lim, Lito Monico Lorenzana and Sergio Luiz-Ortiz Jr.

Others are Jose Sonny Matula, Democrito Mendoza, David Naval, Victor Ortega, Vicente Paterno, San Fernando, Pampanga Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, Camiguin Gov. Pedro Romualdo, Bishop Efraim Tendero, Ray Teves, Antonio Vilar and Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco.