Harmony

House and Senate détente. The best news we heard all week. Thank you Congressional leaders for the photo of the Legislative big 4 breaking bread. The public is reassured by the sight of your peaceful dialogue in stark contrast to the earlier, petulant debates in mass media. The question of joint vs. separate voting may still be left hanging but setting it aside for the moment is a welcome development. That’s one less act in the theater of the absurd.

Hurrah for the decision to refocus energies on the specific constitutional provisions that need revisiting, aside from the PDP Laban’s federalist aspirations. To formalize and finalize the Charter change agenda is a matter on which interests concur.

But whose interests concur? What of our interests? Even if our leaders have temporarily made nice, we can’t deny that their antics, including the self serving term extensions and no elections scenarios, have roused us from our own apathetic inertia. Why can’t they be more like the President who has disavowed any desire to serve beyond his constitutional term, Cha-cha o no? Are we comfortable leaving this most sensitive of responsibilities to men and women who cannot abide contrary opinions, who barely manage to arrive at consensus and who, defying delicadeza, would unabashedly entrench themselves in power?

Well the business groups aren’t comfortable. MBC, MAP and Finex have come out publicly calling for a constitutional convention (con-con). The Catholic church has its doubts about Charter change. But if the same is inevitable, they also unequivocally prefer a con-con. Our political and judicial elders at the Senate hearing had their own consensus pro con-con. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the Presidential candidate, favored a con-con.

Noise. But this is all noise to our legislators. They believe they know better. Well, they could be channeling Edmund Burke: Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion. But must they be Burkeish when there is an option for the people to exercise that judgment directly?

With the barangay election in May, it should be simple to include a yes or no question on the PCOS ballot on whether we would like to have a constitutional convention, in the first place. The decision to ask the people doesn’t even need a supermajority 3/4th vote of Congress, unlike a con-ass amendment; nor a supermajority 2/3rd  vote of Congress, as when Congress decides to call a constitutional convention. All it takes is a simple majority vote of Congress to “submit to the electorate the question of calling such a convention.”

Greatest hits. Among the target provisions for a con-ass or con-con, apart from the federalism discussion, are: (1) Martial Law. PRRD wants sole prerogative; (2) Foreign equity and foreign ownership. For foreign investments; (3) Term limits, term synchronizations; (4) Abolition of the Judicial and Bar Council; (5) Bicameralism; (6) Presidential vs Parliamentary form; (7) Citizenship. Foundlings?; (8) Single vs. split ticket voting for Vice President; (9) Expanded Judicial review. The counter majoritarian difficulty debate; (10) Jurisdiction of courts. Perhaps the creation of a separate constitutional court. 

Sure to be left out of a con-ass would be the provision on political dynasties.

One voice. The Energy Regulatory Commission is still awaiting Palace action on the replacement of its four suspended commissioners. Chairperson Agnes T. Devanadera has heroically been holding the fort but, sooner or later, the fan can expect to be hit. So what is to be done?

PRRD should go ahead and designate acting commissioners – from inside the ERC preferably –  pursuant to his express power under the Administrative Code of 1987. The exigency of the service is validated by the towering piles of petitions at the ERC awaiting commission action.

A different tune? Does anyone understand why the present discussion centers on how to make Small Time Lottery (STL) work better? Shouldn’t we go back to just scrapping STL altogether? Intended as a means to eradicate jueteng, we tried it twice. Hello. It hasn’t worked, twice. 

Why not train the same law enforcement obsession with illegal drugs on illegal gambling? We’ve seen how effective the tokhang campaign has been in reducing old and deterring new users.

What makes the drug lord differently situated from the gambling lord? The Church uses Rizalian language to paint its portrait of gambling: a social cancer; destroys moral values and exploits the poor; wrecks lives and futures. This looks astonishingly identical to illegal drugs’ own selfie. PRRD has invoked the spectre of drug money infiltrating electoral politics to stop a scheduled barangay election. “Do we want drug lords to decide on who runs our local governments?” Why isn’t that same question posed of gambling lords? 

Mayon Damayan. Upward of 70,000 Albay residents have been displaced by this latest eruption of our national volcano. Most have sought solace in government shelters like public schools, gymnasiums, public buildings. The reports – through disarming smiles that attest to our native resilience – tell of how 30 families would squeeze themselves into a classroom and live for the next day. As part of aid drives to Mayon in the past, I have personally witnessed how miserable their existence could be. Our caravan of relief goods would make its stops at the shelters. In wretched conditions, we saw disease, thirst, hunger, and herculean sanitation challenges.

Unlike other natural disasters which affect you on a one day basis, volcanic eruptions are of longer duration. And, with Mayon’s type of plinian explosions, the radius blanketed by ash, lava, pyroclastic materials grows ever wider. This means more destruction, longer turn around time  and prolonged stays at the centers for an increasing number of evacuees. Its going to get worse before it gets better. No local government will ever be prepared to sustain such an exodus.

They could use a hand. Its time we mobilize relief or help those who have already started helping.