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HOW does
that song say it. . .”Here we go again, taking a chance
on love…” But President Arroyo is not betting on love,
but on what is still a mystery: on Monday she set up an
interagency panel to revive the much-reviled Cha-cha, or
Charter change.
The
panel includes representatives from Congress, which she
controls, and local government units, which she also
controls, to draft a “road map to federalism” by 2012.
But
senators were quick to suspect the new Cha-cha effort is
part of a diversionary ploy by Malacañang to draw public
attention away from a series of scandals that continue
to hound the Arroyo administration.
The
Charter-change card surprised political analysts, as the
President’s previous ally in pushing it, House Speaker
Jose de Venecia Jr., has been at odds with the Palace
lately, over the aborted national broadband network (NBN)
deal with China’s ZTE Co. The public feud came to a head
with allies of both President Arroyo and de Venecia
caught in a seeming standoff—Arroyo allies rumored to be
planning the Speaker’s ouster and de Venecia’s majority
camp seen pushing for the President’s impeachment.
The
President, who revealed the renewed Cha-cha drive in her
speech at the Regional Workshop on the Establishment of
National Human-Rights Institutions in Asia at the
Traders Hotel, said federalism would help eliminate the
terrorist and insurgency threat in the Southern
Philippines.
“To
address the issue of terrorism and insurgency in
Mindanao, we are hereby forming a panel including the
heads of the Department of the Interior and Local
Government, Department of Justice, Presidential
Management Staff, National Economic and Development
Authority, the leaders of the local government units,
Congress allies and maybe even profederalism opposition
leaders to draft a road map to federalism by 2012,” she
said.
One of
the earliest major supporters and advocators of
federalism is opposition legislator Aquilino Pimentel
Jr., the Senate minority leader, who is out of the
country, though.
She said
the proposed draft measure to put her plan in play
“could include super- region planning and oversight
bodies, with officials and staff from the regional
development councils and national agencies to draw up
programs and projects up to a stipulated amount for
inclusion in the 2009 budget, legislation to affirm and
expand executive issuances, and eventually Charter
changes.”
It does
not cut any slack from Sens. Rodolfo Biazon and Mar
Roxas II.
Biazon
said, “There are attempts to cover up very serious
issues at present. We already have a lot of experience
on Charter change, so we can make a conclusion that the
people at this point are not receptive to the idea of
changing the Constitution of the Republic.”
Biazon
cited several independent surveys affirming the people’s
overwhelming opposition to any move to tinker with the
Constitution. “So what is this attempt to revive the
issue of Charter change? Maybe it is a red herring.”
Roxas
was surprised. “I think that’s a sign of wanting to move
people’s attentions from the present political problems
that confront the administration at this point,” adding
that “maybe, they were advised by their counsel that the
executive privilege [being invoked by Palace officials
in the Senate’s ZTE inquiry], once brought to the
courts, will not hold ground, so that’s why another
political front is being opened.”
But
Roxas aired concern that the Cha-cha revival could wipe
out whatever economic gains the administration may have
attained at this time. “I look upon this [Cha-cha
scheme] as an assault on the quietness or regularity
with which we ought to be governing, especially since
the administration is touting strong economic
fundamentals. This is, in a way, self-defeating.”
Malacañang attempted to push for Charter change through
the Sigaw ng Bayan people’s initiative last year, but it
was junked by the Supreme Court and soundly rejected by
the people.
This was
followed by a House move to convene as a constituent
assembly without the Senate, but it also came under
heavy public criticism, forcing the administration and
its allies to shelve it.
On
December 14, 2006, the President, after commending the
House leadership not to pursue its bid for a
parliamentary government, said “Philippine democracy
will always find the proper time and opportunity for
Charter reform at a time when the people deem it ripe
and needful, and in the manner they deem proper.”
A week
later, addressing the Asian Development Bank, the
President maintained that Charter change remains among
her priority agenda. |
