Ateneo school heads slam lawmakers for ‘railroading’ charter change
MANILA, Philippines — The presidents of the five Atenean schools in the country slammed the House of Representatives for “fast-tracking” moves to amend the Constitution after the lower chamber approved its version of a federal constitution.
Last week, the House of Representatives—by a vote of 224 to 22 with three abstentions—approved on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses 15, a measure principally authored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga).
In a statement, the heads of the Ateneo schools lamented that RBH 15 “dramatically departs from the reform process initiated by President Duterte, which called on the Constitutional Committee to Review the Constitutions to help push debates and discussions on constitutional reforms.”
They also noted three “troubling” features of the RBH 15—the exclusion of the proposed anti-dynasty law and a clear political party reform agenda, removal of three-term limit for congressmen and two-term limit for senators, and the removal of Article 13 of the Constitution, which is dedicated to social justice and humans.
“These features of RBH 15 alone, combined with the unreasonable pace and non-inclusive process, are likely to exacerbate further the trust deficit that presently characterizes the federalism discussions,” the presidents of Ateneo universities said.
They added: “Imposing their will on the people will only elicit stronger resistance to federalism as many will see this as a ploy of dynastic politicians to further strengthen their hold on power.”
But Arroyo earlier denied accusations that the measure was railroaded in the House, where members who voted against it said they had not been given a chance to interpellate or ask questions.
“We sent it to them, it was voted on. It’s part of the democratic process,” Arroyo said last Friday.
Inclusive process
The presidents of Atenean schools called on lawmakers to take the “proper steps” to consult all sectors.
“Therefore, we urge the administration to undertake instead a wider and more consultative discussion on constitutional reform,” they said.
The school heads added: “Only by undergoing a genuine and participatory national dialogue will Filipinos attain a level of consciousness where they can properly decide whether to change the charter or not.”
The statement was signed by Fr. Karel San Juan (Ateneo de Zamboanga University), Fr. Joel Tabora (Ateneo de Davao University), Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin (Ateneo de Manila University), Fr. Roberto Exequiel Rivera (Ateneo de Naga University) and Fr. Roberto Yap (Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan).
While most members of the House—dominated by allies of President Rodrigo Duterte—were enthusiastic about amending the current charter, the Senate has been cool on the matter.
Senators said they were doubtful the Senate would have time to tackle federalism.
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