MBC vows to fight Gloria term extension
By Wendell Vigilia
Malaya
28 November 2008
THE Makati Business Club yesterday expressed its unequivocal opposition to any move to amend the Constitution to extend the terms of President Arroyo and other elected officials.
It added that it will do all it can to assure that the 2010 elections take place.
“The world is experiencing the worst financial crisis in decades and the Philippines will not be spared the ill-effects. The full extent of the negative impact on our economy has yet to unfold. Given such circumstances, what the country needs at this time is certainly not the haphazard change of the fundamental law but a strong and credible leadership that enjoys the support of the Filipino people,” the MBC statement said.
“Mrs. Arroyo no longer has the support and confidence of the majority of our people, not only because she continues to serve under a dubious mandate, but also because of the unending corruption scandals that have marked her administration and her unwillingness to address these issues.
“The Filipino people look forward to national renewal through general elections in 2010. We see the 2010 elections as the means by which we will elect leaders who will lead our country, hopefully with new vision and proven integrity, toward progress and a better life.
“Any attempts to cancel these elections and deprive our people of this much-anticipated opportunity for leadership change will surely be met with the strongest opposition from all sectors of Philippine society. Such a subversion of the people’s will would render our nation demoralized, at a time when we need to be strong to face the serious challenges ahead of us.”
“The Makati Business Club, in concert with other key sectors and the vast majority of the Filipino people, will do all we can to assure that the 2010 elections take place,” it said.
Minority congressmen filed a counter-resolution “rejecting any and all moves to amend the 1987 Constitution before the 2010 elections including the proposed convening of Congress into a Constituent Assembly.”
House Resolution 888, sponsored by 23 congressmen, aims to thwart Cha-Cha which they said they believe is a ploy to extend President Arroyo’s term beyond 2010.
The two parallel draft House resolutions authored by Speaker Prospero Nograles and Kampi President Luis Villafuerte do not provide for Arroyo’s term extension but this does not stop a congressman from making such a proposal if the proponents muster the required three-fourths vote or 196 of all members of Congress.
The counter-resolution was principally authored by Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna, Liza Maza and Luz Ilagan of Gabriela, Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis and Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III.
The other signatories are Pangasinan Rep. Jose de Venecia, Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla, Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson, Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III, South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, Makati City Rep. Abigail Binay, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Maria Laarni Cayetano, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Capiz Rep. Antonio del Rosario, San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption party-list Reps. Joel Villanueva and Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales, Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya.
The anti-Cha Cha bloc will need 65 signatures to thwart the administration’s campaign.
“Some proponents of Charter change try to deceive the people by alleging that Congress can limit the amendments that may be tackled by constituent assembly. The constituent assembly, which is mandated to amend and revise the fundamental law of the land, is a distinct entity from Congress which is only authorized to make and modify laws and once convened, is beyond the control of Congress or any other institution and can therefore propose any amendment to or revision of the Constitution,” it said.
Nograles’ House Resolution 737, which has so far gathered 163 signatures, calls for the amendment of the Constitution “to allow the acquisition by foreign corporations and associations and the transfer or conveyance thereto of alienable public and private lands.”
The number is 15 signatures short of the requirement of a three-fourths House vote but still lacks 33 signatures if the 24 senators are included.
Villafuerte’s resolution, which calls for the convening of Congress into a Constituent Assembly, has already gathered 150 signatures.
The Constitution provides that any revision or amendment may be proposed by a vote of three-fourths of all members of Congress.
However, since it does not specifically mention “both Houses,” some lawmakers interpret this to mean that the House can introduce proposed changes even without the participation of the Senate.