Who unmasked the Lower House?

In school, many students, like I did, breeze through the study of our constitution merely to comply with academic requirements. They take for granted and therefore, fail to appreciate the dynamism of the principles written in the charter. It is when events demonstrate these tenets that we see their vibrancy. This teaching that access to information on matters of public concern is guaranteed is one of public knowledge. Why this is so is what we, sometimes, do not care to understand. It is good that a recent incident instructs us the importance of this constitutional guarantee.

As I write, plans are afoot to hold rallies nationwide. These mass activities of the magnitude and participation touted to be humongous, are the reactions coming from diverse sectors of our people. Of course, those whom society has come to accept as "left leaning" will be there. But, maybe for a rare time in our history, they do not take center stage. Other sectors which, hitherto have been less visible are, if present

noise materialize, expected to lead.

The leaders of the church, for instance, have asked their members to show their support. They have called on us to come in massive numbers and head to churches which are designated as assembly points of some kind. Then, in comes the El Shaddai whose leader, Brother Mike Velarde always seems able to weave a magic hand for members to heed. There, too, are the ever vigilant members of the Jesus Is Lord Movement. Most importantly, the majority of our people who do not appear to be silent anymore are believed to form huge part of the groundswell. By tomorrow, we shall determine if the initial expectation of their participation is a matter of fact or plainly wishful thinking.

What is this "recent incident" am I talking about and how come it appears to move our seemingly indifferent society?

Few days ago, the members of the House of Representatives, those who belong to the majority, acted with contemptuous arrogance. They, in one unprecedented, tacitly whimsical and utterly unparliamentary move, changed a long cherished and tested rule of procedure. Led by Representatives Jauraula, Defensor, Villafuerte and Lagman who spoke with permission from the gavel of our own Congressman Del Mar, the majority legislators of the lower house eliminated from their rule book, Section 105, a rule made hallow by observance of past legislatures. With that legal stumbling block called Section 105 blown to smithereens, the juggernaut of the majority decided that they, and in complete disregard of the constitutional mandate requiring for the concurrence of the Senate, had the authority to sit in an assembly to propose amendments to our fundamental law. The cha-cha express via the constituent assembly of all congressmen was set in motion.

What the congressmen in the majority did not realize was that their act was seen live on television. The words they used to prop up their unthinkable position were as clear as any person-to-person conversation. Naturally, we saw how they viciously customized their rules to suit their selfish agenda. In their revelry, they trumpeted a hambug that they would sit as a body to offer amendments to the constitution without the Senate. Unfortunately, the many among us perceived it was wrong. And we became justifiably indignant to a travesty for it was committed against the constitution and the people.

Really, had we not witnessed how our congressmen desecrated the nobility of the institution called the lower house, we would not have felt betrayed by our very own representatives. It was most fortunate for us Filipinos that ABS-CBN was there to cover the action, blow-by-blow, so to speak, or we would not have known that the horde led by Speaker Jose de Venecia attempted to set up the podium from which they would bastardize our charter. ANC, either by design or chance, exposed the devious plan of the cabal of many congressmen and unmasked their unpatriotic objectives.

The television network, in making dynamic the meaning of access to information of matter of public concern, focused its cameras for two straight nights on that very important session. As a result, we learned, perhaps belatedly, that our constitution is a treasure we, students or not, must not take for granted.

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