Con-ass will end up in the Supreme Court!

With the People’s Initiative gone to the dustbin of Philippine political history because in hindsight, the Supreme Court agreed with the observation of the majority of the people that this was not really a "People’s Initiative," rather it was the initiative of politicians, we are now headed toward "Plan B" which pro-Charter change groups call a constituent assembly (con-ass). So the million-peso question hanging in everyone’s minds is, will the con-ass succeed where the People’s Initiative failed?

I was watching ABS-CBN’s "Dong Puno Live" last Saturday morning discussing the con-ass with Mindanao Reps. Prospero Pichay and Nereus Acosta and Atty. Malu Ranese-Raval and in the end, I’m sure that those who watched that show who only had a cursory knowledge of our system of government probably got more confused about this form of Charter change.

Rep. Pichay looked toward the camera and told the televiewers, "Give Charter change a chance." To answer the Surigao representative, many people want to change the Constitution for as long as it is changed in the right way… not hurriedly (or via deception?) like the People’s Initiative. Remember the "failed" Constitutional Commission (con-com) headed by Dr. Jose "Pepe" Abueva? While Congress didn’t give the con-com any importance, their consultation process triggered a lot of interest in Charter change throughout the country simply because it was the first time ever that the Filipino people were directly asked the poignant question, "What form of government would you want to have?"

What Dr. Abueva found out was that the majority of people outside Metro Manila favored a federal system of governance, where the powers of the government are not concentrated only on the Executive Branch, which often gets dubbed "Imperial Manila." That means more powers to the regional or local governments. But since that would be too problematic, it is best to turn regions or super regions for that matter into federal states, and then we can say that the Philippines can finally move forward to prosperity.

However, the ideology of Abueva’s group is anchored on a parliamentary form of government, which is parallel to what Speaker Jose de Venecia wants to see happen in this country. The failed People’s Initiative was the first great step in that Charter change process.

Now we are on second gear called a con-ass. But the whole problem is… con-ass or the People’s Initiative for that matter was to force a shift to a parliamentary form of government at a time when the Filipino people are still not convinced that we should make this dramatic shift back to a parliamentary system. I say shift back because we already had a parliamentary form of government during the Marcos Dictatorship and it didn’t work! It is for this very reason why a parliamentary system is a thing that’s very hard to sell!

At this point, pushing for a con-ass isn’t going to be a walk in the park because the law states that it needs the three-fourths vote of all members of Congress… so who are the members of Congress? Does it include the Senate voting separately or as one body? If Rep. Pichay had his say, they should vote as one body, but then I don’t have to tell you how the Senate feels about their being lumped together with the rest of Congress as if their constituents were mere districts and not the entire country. Thus whatever the results of the con-ass will be, I can safely predict that this political exercise is headed straight to the Supreme Court for the second part of the Cha-cha dance.

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Like what we’ve said, we got a deluge of e-mails, mostly from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who liked the article that we wrote about the incident involving presidential daughter Luli Arroyo. Here’s another e-mail:

"Hello, Sir Bobit! I fully agree with Dr. Jovito C. Cuya Jr. and Ms. Riza’s observations and comments about the courteousness of other airport personnel. To name some, how about the car park security personnel who should man, guard and/or assist the arriving balikbayans and tourists in the parking area till they leave the airport vicinity safe?

"OK, first he (the car park security guard) will accompany you till you reach your car and then before you leave the area and offload all your stuff, he will then ask for some tip in exchange for the services/assistance he (had given) you. Not only that, he will even tell you how much you should give. Pity for us Filipinos; they’re being paid for their services and yet (they are still) asking for a fee. Shame!

"How about the (toilet) cleaners in the airport, especially at the arrival area? They will assist you in your needs, yes, but in exchange for something. The worst thing is that they even (impose) a price. I remember one time when I was in the washroom, there was a tourist (an American) beside me washing his hands. Immediately the cleaner who was assigned in that toilet gave him a piece of tissue paper to dry (his hands with). The tourist smiled and thanked the man who had assisted him, but unfortunately when he was due to leave the area, the man suddenly tapped the shoulder of the foreigner and opened his right hand and asked for a tip (a dollar or two). The tourist said, ‘I only have some pennies (around $0.75),’ and the man said that was enough. I was terribly shocked. I even confronted that man as soon the tourist left the toilet.

"After that incident, I felt sorry for myself because I’m an OFW who’s working abroad, meeting different people of various nationalities, and sometimes I even promote what beautiful country we have so I could give my share in helping our economy by inviting them to visit our country, not to mention being one of the OFWs who are sending billions of dollars in remittances.

"We OFWs are doing everything we could to show them how nice people we are, and yet they will discover that what we are showing abroad is exactly the opposite at home. They are the frontliners, and what the foreigners see in them will reflect on our country as a whole. I have so many bad experiences and memories with regards to airport employees. In my 11 years of traveling in and out (of the country) for work, I can really say nothing has changed at the airport.

"I am working in an offshore field in Libya with a working cycle of two months on and one month off. Thank you very much, Sir, for giving me a chance to voice out and share my comments. I always check and read your column online. Thanks. Best regards, Bobot Caparas, [email protected], Senior Technical Support Specialist, FSU Sloug-Bouri Offshore Field, Libya"

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns in The Freeman can also be accessed through The Philippine STAR website (www.philstar.com). He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable. Bobit’s columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com.