Archbishop says ‘No’ to Con-con under GMA
For Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, charter change through Constitutional Convention is the way to go but he advises against any move to amend the charter for as long as the incumbent national leadership remains.
Cruz pointed out “changing the fundamental of the land is not the problem. The problem is the holder of the highest office in the land, fixated with making the change”.
This was his reaction to President Gloria Arroyo’s announcement last Tuesday during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Asian Development Bank that she would continue efforts to have the Constitution amended as soon as possible.
In her speech, Mrs. Arroyo said the Filipino people were not actually against Cha-cha and it was important to continue to push for political and not just economic reforms for the sake of the country’s development.
Noting the President’s obsession to amend the charter just a week after she hailed the archiving of the House resolution convening the Constituent Assembly, Cruz said it is a big danger if the national leadership were allowed to satisfy its obsession to change the constitution during its tenure of office.
Cruz, who led a Church-initiated prayer rally in Dagupan City last week against Charter change through Constituent Assembly mode, said, “True to its well established unpredictable mentation if not downright deceitful disposition, the present national leadership is once again avidly pursuing Charter Change after having decidedly shelved it but some days ago”.
He cited the administration’s efforts to promote “the discredited Peoples Initiative”, then, it’s to push the “infamous Constituent Assembly”, and its fixation to push for Constitutional Convention (the earlier the better, but definitely before 2010).
“Sad to say, the incumbent national leadership is used to claim many personal attributes and exceptional official talent but to date, it may not and would not dare appropriate for itself the virtues of honesty and integrity – not with the long list of its well perceived serious misdeeds even before it assumed office -with legitimacy or otherwise,” Cruz said.
He maintained that if the constitutional convention were held during the incumbency of the present national leadership, “there is the strong presumption akin to moral certitude that it would directly and indirectly intervene in all –three phases of constitutional change – to protect and further its super egoistic interests.”
The archbishop said he is certain that the Arroyo government “will and can readily do with the power it flaunts, the public wealth at its devious disposal, the insidious influence it wields” and that “the ruling national leadership will resolutely and strongly push for the adoption of a parliamentary form of government.”
He cited the administration’s determination to remove the possibility of another impeachment case, to extend its rule, and to hold on to immunity from suit as long as legally possible.
“Charter Change, Yes! During the present administration: No! Constitutional Convention, Yes! During the incumbent national leadership: No!” Cruz exclaimed—EVA
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