Let him with a different idea be ignored

"I may not believe in anything you say, but I will defend till death your right to say it". Was it the Frenchman Voltaire, pen name of Francois-Marie Arouet, whose life was marked by constant conflict with Europe's leading literati, who said these words? I do not know if I should attach any reverse analogy between Voltaire's fierce advocacy for free speech and a fairly recent act of some congressmen, which scandalized me.

This famous quote is, to me, the immutable foundation of our freedom of expression. The guarantee that someone is prepared to lay his life in defense of another person's right to say his piece is the ultimate demonstration of its primacy. Fortunately for us, it is written into our constitution and nurtured by the blood of our heroes.

However, it is most unfortunate that among our congressmen, they, in whose august sessions free speech is supposed to be the accepted formula to synthesize profound thoughts, this constitutionally guaranteed freedom, seems to have lost its last ounce of significance. Voltaire's protestation is no longer heard much less appreciated. This freedom is lifeless, and of all places, in Congress. It is a victim of the shameless and vicious act of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments of the Lower House as it rammed Resolution 1230.

In a speed faster than light, the members of the ruling majority displayed their arrogance. True, they had the number which, ironically, our teachings of democracy have allowed to steam roll an emaciated minority. And yes true, they shamelessly brandished their superior numbers to prevent even a faint discussion of a most important document in our nation's life.

Indeed, what is more important than a document that sets proposed amendments to the constitution?

There is an ominous dearth of information about this congressional caper. The woeful paucity of verifiable news about Resolution One Two Three Zero just indicates that our people have been tragically one-two-threed (I know you know what I mean) by our representatives. There is a resolution number but apparently, the resolution itself is absent (or unavailable when I wrote this article three days ago) simply because they are still finalizing it. Oh my God! Can congressmen give their assent to a document which draft is not yet crafted? (Imagine, in passing Res. 1230, not a single minute of intelligible reflection was allocated). With all these obtaining, it is easy to perceive the devious design to deny the Filipinos, us, of as profound story as we can get hold. From the few pieces of information our media men can report, I surmise that Res. 1230 is about amendments of the fundamental law.

That some portions of our constitution have to be changed was the thesis of the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Hon. Congressman Constantino Jaraula, of Misamis Oriental. I saw him on television following the sickening shut out of the minority. He was trying to hide the smirk that characterized his presentation. What saddened me all the more was that he failed, despite his attempt to appear Solomonic, to tell us honestly why he allowed, if not engineered, the railroading of the move of the legislators in the minority to discuss the constitutional provisions involved.

Hon. Jaraula did not do it alone. Recognizing that time was very short, he worked with a huge cabal to achieve a sinister plot. They knew that allowing debates on the issue would take much of the short allowable time. They would rather that before the onset of the 2007 elections, the amendments should be appended already to the constitution hiding, in so many words, the ultimate objective of their conspiracy which is to change the form of our government that they can perpetuate themselves in power.

Precisely because of this reason, our congressmen have shown that a majority of the members of the legislative body, unicameral per their proposal, can violate fundamental principles. If they could desecrate the words of Voltaire, we, the ordinary mortals cannot expect any better treatment.

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