House members get Charter change rolling

The House of Representatives revved up its Cha-cha (Charter change) express last night by starting floor debates on a resolution urging Congress to convert itself into a constituent assembly to propose constitutional amendments.

Sponsoring the resolution, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula, constitutional amendments committee chairman, told his colleagues that there should be a "structural re-engineering of the government" by replacing the present political structure with the presidential system.

"For more than six decades, the presidential system has not worked for us because it has not improved the lives of our people. On the contrary, it has bred paralysis and confrontation between the executive and legislative branches," he said.

He said the presidential form of government is "inherently corrupt."

"A Filipino seeking the highest office has to spend billions of pesos, which he has to solicit from financiers. If he gets elected, he owes his job to those who financed him or her," he added.

He pointed out that for more than a year since the 13th Congress convened in July last year, the House has not moved Cha-cha in its agenda because it has focused on approving several tax measures.

Now that these measures are in place and are in fact credited for recent positive economic developments, Jaraula said it is time for the House to get the Cha-cha initiative moving.

"I say let us benefit from the experience of many progressive countries with a parliamentary form of government. Let us discard the present system and go parliamentary," he said.

Jaraula was roundly applauded by his colleagues after his remarks. His vice chairmen, including Representatives Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City and Clavel Martinez of Cebu, gave their own sponsorship speeches.

Domogan said there is an emerging consensus among many sectors of society for a change in the political structure.

"Let us strike the iron while it is hot and bring about a significant improvement in the lives of our people," he said.

The sponsors of the resolution did not say how they would convince the Senate to agree to a constituent assembly (con-ass). Senators, who are for electing a constitutional convention to do the job of proposing Charter changes, said the House would just be wasting its time pushing Cha-cha without the cooperation of the Senate.

Jaraula earlier expressed optimism that senators would eventually agree to Cha-cha through con-ass.

He said the vote by the House, together with the report of the presidential consultative commission on Cha-cha and the clamor of local officials for a shift to the parliamentary system, would be "an overwhelming endorsement of Cha-cha that the Senate cannot ignore."

If able to maintain a quorum, the House was scheduled last night to proceed with interpellations on the con-ass resolution and subsequently vote on it.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Majority Leader Prospero Nograles made sure that there were enough members at the start of last night’s session.

De Venecia, the staunchest advocate of Charter reform since 1991, presided at the opening of session and congratulated Jaraula who led the sponsorship of Committee Report No. 1065 which calls for Congress, sitting as a constituent assembly, to amend the 1987 Constitution.

De Venecia called the moment "historically significant –and a watershed moment in the nation’s history because we are on the eve of constitutional reforms that would change our country’s system of politics."

The Speaker said Charter reform will lift the restrictive policies that have made the Philippines one of the poorest among comparable Asian economies.

"Charter reform is absolutely necessary for an immediate shift in the structure of government, and to open the economy to a massive inflow of foreign investments that will create millions of jobs and mass housing, modernize our agriculture and infrastructure system, and raise the country’s competitiveness in the global market," De Venecia said.

He cited the China experience in the past two decades, when it opened its economy to massive foreign investments, fueling its economic development that has since lifted more than 400 million Chinese from poverty into the ranks of the middle class.

He called this the "biggest social and economic transformation in history."

Two schools

ater, during the question-and-answer session, in response to queries raised by San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, Jaraula said there are at least two schools of thought on how Congress can propose constitutional amendments.

He said one is for the Senate and the House to work together and come up with Cha-cha proposals and the other is for the two chambers to work separately on their respective proposed changes.

He said there would be no problem if senators and congressmen agree to work together.

However, he pointed out that since the Senate has been refusing to cooperate with the House on Cha-cha, the two chambers can convene separately and all the House has to do is to get 195 of its 236 members to vote for proposed constitutional amendments.

"That would satisfy the constitutional requirement that proposed Charter changes should be approved by a three-fourths vote of all members of Congress," he stressed.

By Jaraula’s count, 195 is three-fourths of the combined membership of the Senate and the House, which is 260.

In other words, Zamora said, the House does not need the votes of senators even if it wants the Senate to agree to the convening of a constituent assembly.

He wondered what Constitution advocates of this argument are reading.

Jaraula also said the transitory provisions of the envisioned new Constitution could adversely affect the six-year term of President Arroyo.

Former President Fidel Ramos has been urging Mrs. Arroyo to agree to shorten her term by more than half to allow for early parliamentary elections. Under Ramos’ proposal, a new, full-pledged parliament should be in place by June next year and that the President and other elective officials should serve only until May.