Debate is formally opened

Joe de V, Speaker of the House of Representatives, formally opened the debate on constitutional change by declaring himself publicly for it. That was a brave act especially with the threat of personal attacks and political reprisals for taking the step. But by so doing, declaring his stand publicly and in the most transparent terms possible, he has also set the pace and character of the debate. It should go as fast as the ideas can carry us as a nation. "I believe we should now publicly declare for constitutional change and pass a law, this year or in 2003, calling for the election of delegates to a Constitutina Convention, simultaneously with the 2004 elections. We can then begin to prepare to make the shift to the new system in 2010," Joe de V said.

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Implicit in this declaration is the elevation of the debate to the level of focusing on the issues and rejecting character assassination as instruments of political force. That should be the first ground rule of this debate on so important an issue as the re-making of the Constitution to push this nation forward. Our task as the larger public is to be both an interested audience and committed participants by making sure that the fundamental ground rule of gentlemanly debate is followed faithfully by the players. The arena of battle for changing the Constitution has also been designated by Joe de V. "I want to propose this to President Arroyo, to the leaders of Congress and to the national and regional and party list groups attending the All-Parties Conference on May 3-5, 2002."

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In his open declaration of support for changing the constitution, Joe de V did not minimize the work ahead. "I believe constitutional change as ultimately necessary, but we need to prepare our political system for it. A parliamentary system requires a really strong civil service —and strong and modern political parties. It is for this reason that I initiated next month’s All-Parties conference to modernize our political parties, strengthen our democratic insitutions and create a unified political and economic agenda to enable the Philippines to catch up economically with its more prosperous neightbors."

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As a reporter, I have purposely omitted parts of his statement which defend his person against attacks of political motivation against him. I know how important it is to him to be vindicated but I believe this is unnecessary at this point and reflects more on those who attack him than on Joe de V. He has been cleared by the courts which is the proper venue of settling scores. With the debate open his own actions from hereon will be his best defense. If we are to carry the debate in an elevated manner then we should begin now. By behaving fairly, the country will be able to draw the best minds and talents to the debate . We will have entered a new phase in our history as a more mature democracy. The task at hand is to search for the best way possible to implement this all-important task of cobbling a Constitution for our time. For the first time perhaps, we may be doing so for ourselves and ourselves alone in our long history as a once-colonized people. Let us take the opportunity in the most spirited manner possible and if we cannot agree then let us agree to disagree until we find the best in each of us.

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Here is a letter from a conscientious reader on a federal government for RP as an example of participation from the citizenry at large:

I think the problem with the concept is nobody understands it. I didn’t until I found an explanation by Charles Handy. It means having local governments responsible for everything they can take care of, and of course, they need their own powers to tax, so that a central government would have only the tasks that by nature cannot be delegated to local governments, e.g. foreign affairs, defense, monetary policy, and guidance (but not control) over environment, health, education, police, etc. The same principle would guide the division of labor between city/town and provincial governments. I’m not sure you need to change the constitution to implement the idea. You may need to change laws that now give power to all sorts of national agencies, etc., and devolve that power to local governments. But I’m no constitutional expert, so maybe there is a need to amend the constitution, if only to state the guiding principle, which would be a large departure from past and present practice. But it comes with some problems: how to get the richer local areas to subsidize the poorer ones. That remains the task of the center, though the task is lessened by internal mobility of labor and capital, and by a much more efficient market in land than exists today. It requires national leaders to understand that their job is not to lead but to reconcile the haves with the have-nots. Perhaps the problem is in the word. Federal or federation connotes an association, a liga. But it is not. It is actually separation. You separate to get things done! Perhaps the trick is to give it a local name. Gobyerno by sariling sikap.until only the national can do it. You have to find one or two words to cover all that. Just a thought,

Orlando Roncesvalles<[email protected]>

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Open a legal flank. I was recently talking to Saudi Ambassador Al-Ghamdi to ask if there were any developments on the peace formula proposed by Crown Prince Abdullah when he corrected me and said, "you mean the OIC formula". Of course. The proposal was put before the body and was collectively approved as the stand of the group so it has ceased to be a Saudi proposal. And so it has. But it seems, as political analysts have remarked, to have been hijacked by the Sharon-Arafat stand-off and Colin Powell’s failure to bring them to the negotiating table. This is where opening a legal flank might help. As already mentioned in a previous column, the example of the Chaggosians, as conveyed to me by founding President Sir James Mancham might help. The Chaggosians have brought a class suit against the US for displacing them to make way for a military base in Diego Garcia. The same could be done for the Palestinians. Move the battle from a bloody war arena to the International Criminal Court. Speaking of President Mancham, he has also recently sent me a copy of the letter sent him by President Chirac:.

30th March 2002 Mr President I acknowledge receipt of your book – War on America – Seen from the Indian Ocean. I would like to thank you very sincerely for same. It is with interest that I have read and followed your analysis of international situation full of experience of wisdom. Just like you, I aspire to the build-up, day after day, of a more balanced, equitable and peaceful world. In this connection, France contributes, wherever she can, in the promotion of principles which are essential for peace and the well-being of our humanity. Please accept, Mr Prasident, the assurance of my highest consideration. Jacques CHIRAC, President of theRepublic of France

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International Campaign for the Amazon. One of the wonders of e-mail is the ability to be in touch with the world through e-mail. That is how I got into the campaign for the Amazon. I took on from Edwin Santos, [email protected] and om: Christine Tan Manalang [email protected]. I promised not just an e-letter with my name affixed to an international lobby list but a mention in my column to start several signature campaigns. The essence of the campaign is to save the Amazon Forest. This is now being voted upon by the Brazilian congress and we have to let them know that it is not just a Brazilian matter but the whole world. In the list of signatures from 01 – Fernanda de Souza Saviolo – Rio de Janeiro – RJ it goes down to several hundreds so far from all the continents of the world, USA, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia etc. I would have been the 476th signatory after Edwin Santos. I want to reach Filipinos who have no access to computers and more importantly, the Brazilian Embassy here if there is onve to convey the message of concern and solidarity with those who are against the destruction of the Amazon.

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Here is the text of this international petition if you want to be hooked up:

The Brazilian congress is now voting on a project that will reduce the Amazon forest to 50% of its size. It will take 1 MINUTE to read this, but PLEASE put your names on the list and forward this on. The area to be deforested is 4 times the size of Portugal and would be mainly used for agriculture and pastures for livestock. All the wood is to be sold to international markets in the form of wood chips, by large multinational companies. The truth is that the soil in the Amazon forest is useless without the forest itself. Its quality is very acidic and the region is prone to constant floods. At this time more than 160,000 square kilometres deforested with the same purpose are abandoned and in the process of becoming deserts. Deforestationand the subsequent processing of the woodchips on this scale will also release huge amounts of carbon, which is currently locked up in the wood, back into the atmosphere worsening the problem of climate change. We just cannot let this happen

Please copy the text into a ‘new email’, put your complete name on the list below and send to everyone you know.

DON’T JUST FORWARD IT THIS E-MAIL, AS IT WILL THEN END UP WITH ROWS AND ROWS of >’s. MANY THANKS.

If you are the 500th person to sign please send a copy to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]

Thank you for your help.

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Lastly, a plug for a Filipino doctor making strides in the US. For those interested on the latest medical findings, my friend, Antonio Chan, MD, MBA, FACC, FAHA,Chairman, Chanwell Clinic,Cardiovascular Center and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine Stanford University Medical Center wrote that there is now the first conclusive evidence that FISH OIL (Omega 3 Fatty acids) is cardioprotective. It reduces the risk of sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias. Those who want to know more about this should get in touch with him at his clnic at 10615 S. DeAnza Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014, USA Tel 408 343-0888 1715 Lundy Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131, USA Tel 408 436-5588.

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My e-mail address: [email protected]