FVR: No to ‘no-el’, Joe dV proposal

Former President  Fidel V. Ramos maintained his personal stand that  holding no elections in 2007  and beyond would be a monumental blunder for the Philippines.

Speaking at a Star Plaza Hotel  luncheon meeting with  local government officials, professionals, members of non-government organizations and academe, members of the judiciary  and other sectors, Mr. Ramos said   election is the very nature of the Filipino culture and also the very nature of democracy.

 “If  there are one or two incumbents in a municipality, there are 3 or 4 aspirants who would like to contest that elective position,” he said, opposing  a recommendation of the Consultative Commission calling for no election in 2007.

He said in the ranking of 192 nations of the world, in terms of freedom and  democracy, the Philippines is now in the category of “partly free”, having been already demoted from the category of free country.

The luncheon  meeting was hosted by Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim, a Ramos ally but who in July suddenly made a stand calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and had publicly indicated he will  oppose Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in the congressional race in the fourth district of Pangasinan.

Ramos expressed hope that the proposal of Concom will not  be approved by Congress because the country would surely go down to the category of “not free country”, in the category today of Afghanistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe and Sudan.

At the same time, Ramos is opposed to the adoption of the French system as model of the soon to be installed parliamentary system in the country.

Ramos was reacting to a  press statement made by Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. endorsing the French system model of the country’s parliamentary system, that provides for a strong President and a prime minister  who  will act as chief operating officer.

In a marginal note to a palace statement on his meeting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last Wednesday night, Ramos said the repeated reference to the “French model” is not palatable to him  being almost like adopting the status quo.

Ramos earlier demanded that President Arroyo cut her term of office up to June 2007 to pave the way for a parliamentary system of government in the Philippines.

 He asked: “Did the French government effectively resolve  the recent 15-day violence around Paris that was reportedly rooted on deep social and economic problems?”

Ramos suggested the adoption of a real  Filipino model that is in consonance  with the needs and temperament of the Filipino people.

 Speaker  de Venecia Jr. said here Sunday that he will propose the adoption of the French model in the early years of the parliament up to 2010 but after that, there will be a shift to the British model where the Prime Minister would run  the government and the President acting as ceremonial head of  state.