Senators to join Charter change protest

MANILA, Philippines – Senators are ready to march and join the people in various protest actions against Charter change through a House-only constituent assembly (con-ass), dousing speculations that members of the Lower Chamber could convince them to support the move through talks.

Senators Manuel Roxas II, Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero said the House members should not waste their time talking to them because they would junk con-ass outright, while Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said the Nacionalista Party would organize moves against Cha-cha.

Roxas expressed confidence that Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile would not be swayed by Speaker Prospero Nograles into dancing the Cha-cha despite the supposed links of the Senate chief to Malacañang.

He said all senators had signed a resolution against Cha-cha and that both the majority and the minority agreed in a caucus to let the Senate legal office prepare the position of the Upper Chamber against Cha-cha should it reach the Supreme Court.

“I won’t entertain them, we can just have coffee and snacks,” Roxas said over radio station dwIZ, adding the House of Representatives must realize that it was pushing for an unconstitutional way of amending the Constitution.

Legarda said she would give the congressmen a lecture on how to run the government if they would come to her rather than listen to their proposed Cha-cha.

“Proponents of con-ass in the House of Representatives can certainly try to approach senators individually to peddle their faulty and highly irregular Charter change initiative. I will try to save them time by saying that as far as I’m concerned, con-ass is dead,” Legarda said.

“Likewise, I would like to remind them that the senators must act on any con-ass initiative as a body, thus any individual expression of support for con-ass by senators, if there would be any which I doubt very much, would not constitute an act of the Senate as a whole,” she added.

“If the House will insist on con-ass, it will meet strong opposition from our people because this is one issue that will galvanize the nation into action. As the JIL (Jesus is Lord movement) itself had said, it is ready to go to the streets to spearhead mammoth rallies,” Legarda said, adding she was ready to join such protest actions.

Escudero also said he was ready to be part of the rallies, too, and that he would like to present to the congressmen their bills sent to the Senate because they would need the Upper Chamber’s approval before they would become law.

“Let’s see if they can pass (the bills) without us,” Escudero said.

Villar, who is NP president, said his party had an emergency meeting last Thursday and discussed what they should do to thwart the House move.

“We will join the protest actions and we will also organize ourselves. We have alerted the different NP chapters so we can do what is necessary to derail Cha-cha,” Villar said.

Explain intention

Malacañang urged its allies in the House of Representatives to make an effort to explain to the public their intention in passing the resolution to convene the chamber into a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution.

Faced with threats of massive rallies to protest the passage of House Resolution (HR) 1109, Secretary to the Cabinet Silvestre Bello III said the proponents of the bill owe it to the people to explain their motives, just to clear the air.

The public, on the other hand, should also keep an open mind, he said.

“The President’s position has been very clear, we are ready for the 2010 elections. If they will amend the Constitution so that elections would not be held, then that is against our position,” Bello said over radio station dzRH.

Peaceful protests

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said they would support efforts to mobilize the Filipino people to express their displeasure over the passage of HR 1109 that would convene the House into a con-ass.

In a statement, Lagdameo said the public has the right to assemble and express their grievance in a non-violent manner over the railroaded passage of HR 1109 by allies of President Arroyo in the House.

Cardinal Rosales echoed the sentiments of the CBCP head.

Pangasinan fourth district Rep. Jose de Venecia Jr. warned that there is a clear and imminent danger to the nation by the passage of HR 1109 because this could result in a “major political upheaval.”

Meantime, Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS), yesterday said members of the uniformed service have grown smarter than those who are now in jail for dipping their fingers into political issues that are not their domain.

Pangilinan made the statement in response to a call made by detained former Army Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim for the soldiers to unite Cha-cha.

Nograles commended

Even with the controversy over the recent passage of HR 1109, the House of Representatives, under Nograles, received a congratulatory note from members of the opposition bloc just as Congress went on break last June 3.

No less than House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora praised the Speaker for a job well done.

One of his deputies, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, even gave the House leader an “8” rating, with 10 being the highest.

San Juan Rep. Zamora and House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor authored Resolution 1221, which commended Nograles, who represents Davao City – for his “outstanding leadership.”

Among the important measures that the House passed were the five-year extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and the controversial HR 1109.

Others include the Rent Control Act of 2009, the Pag-IBIG Fund Law of 2008, strengthening of the regulatory capacity of the Bureau of Food and Drugs, tax relief for individual taxpayers, the Personal Equity and Retirement Act of 2008, and the socialized housing loan condonation.

In his speech, Nograles, however, said, “More needs to be done.” - With Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan, Delon Porcalla, Eva Visperas and Jaime Laude