Constitutional Change
Cha-Cha campaign: Doomed to fail
Apr 24th
Allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the House of Representatives hell bent in railroading Charter Change through a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) without the Senate are wasting their time in pushing for a self-serving political endeavor that is doomed to fail.
The House should now heed the sentiments of the Filipino people and abandon the campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution through a Con-Ass to pave the way for a shift from a presidential to parliamentary system of government.
Unfortunately for President Arroyo and her allies in the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), the Filipino people can see through the grand deception behind More >
“The most unpopular Prime Minister this country will never have”
Apr 17th
Today I urged Malacanang and its allies in the House of Representatives to listen to the people’s opposition against Charter Change, again. Have they not thought that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo could end up as the most “unpopular Prime Minister this country will never have?”
Malacanang and its allies in the House should listen to the voice of the people against cha-cha. The cat is out of the bag. Everybody knows that this Malacanang-sponsored cha-cha campaign is just a ploy to extend the stay of President Arroyo in power, this time as prime minister in a parliamentary form of government.
However, if More >
GMA as prime minister after 2010?
Mar 28th
Malacanang’s move to amend the 1987 Constitution through a House Resolution was part of a “grand deception plan designed to install President Arroyo as prime minister even after the holding of the 2010 elections.
The House Resolution drafted by by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, president of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), seeking to the amend the Charter was intended only to provide a “justiciable issue and secure a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court to pave the way for the early implementation of Charter Change right after the 2010 elections.
I distributed copies of the Villafuerte resolution at the Kapihan More >
To amend only the economic provisions?
Mar 20th
This I say after learning of moves to amend the 1987 Constitution—only the economic provisions—to amend only economic provisions could backfire and will only cause devastating negative effects on the national economy instead of improving it.
Due to the apparent poor credibility of the Arroyo administration in the business community, nobody will buy the excuse that only the economic provisions will be touched once the Malacanang Cha-Cha train takes off.
It is obvious that the primary motivation of Cha-Cha is the extension of President Arroyo’s term. No amount of sugarcoating or media spin can deodorize that self-serving objective.
Did I hear there was More >
Why the “double speak?”
Nov 24th
The Arroyo administration is guilty of “double speak” on the issue of charter change. The deceitful moves of Malacañang and its allies only reinforce suspicions that the exercise is intended to extend the president’s stay in power beyond 2010.
While President Arroyo appears to be no longer be interested in pushing for Charter Change and extending her term, her eldest son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, was spearheading a signature campaign in the House of Representatives to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constituent assembly.
The double speak of Malacañang on the issue to Charter Change is too obvious to ignore. It More >
The President will be committing an impeachable offense
Aug 4th
I warn Malacanang not to sign the GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. President Arroyo will be committing an impeachable offense since the agreement constitutes a gross violation of the 1987 Constitution.
No doubt, Presidential Adviser to the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr and RP Panel Chair Rodolfo Garcia will be signing the agreement only upon the authority and orders of President Arroyo.
The MoA clearly violates the 1987 Constitution because it grants the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) a status of belligerency, which is a step closer to granting it international recognition as a separate and independent state. It will More >
