Here and There
Senator Nene, non-adversarial oppositionist
By Gerry Garcia
SEEN once as an avid advocate of charter change, PGMA’s unexpected change of mind, i.e., putting cha-cha in the backburner till all requisite tax measures are passed, raised a lot of eyebrows. One of these, ironically, belonged to one of the Opposition leaders — Aquilino “Nene” Pimental Jr.
Pimentel who has been pushing for cha-cha as the only way that could bring about both political and economic reforms, implied Gloria’s reasoning is erratic, meaning, she was using a premise which is misleading, hence “false”.
“Charter change is not a political move, but an economic plan for the country. For as long as we do not have a federal system,” Nene says, “There will be only one center of influence, power and finance in the country and that is Metro Manila.”
“But if we have 10 federal states, as we have been proposing, then there will be 10 centers of influence, power and influence all over the nation,” Nene said, asking that the adoption of a federal system of government would accelerate the country’s economic development since it would give the regions complete autonomy to develop their own economic resources.
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Although still three years away, the 2010 battle for the presidency has virtually begun. Latest baby about to throw his hat into the ring is Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, grandson of the late Pres. Manuel Roxas. Sen. Franklin Drilon, feeling peeved, seems to say, “Don’t be too cocksure. Elections are still far away”. Former Pres. Erap, the “masses’ idol” who’s testing the waters said with tongue in cheek, the opposition is open to a possible merger with Roxas’ LP.
Other hopefuls or Sen. Miriam Defensor’s “ants”, are Sen. Loren Legarda and Vice Pres. Noli de Castro.
Then there are still others, like Senators Francis Pangilinan, Manny Villar, and Panfilo Lacson.
Meanwhile the barely noticed Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) is rearing its head as its chairman, Lawyer Vicente Millora, a Pangasinense, recently came out with a proposal for a return to the two-party system. Under the two-party system there is the process of elimination among presidential candidates in their own party, to avert the entry of several candidates.
Elections then would be orderly and less expensive because the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will only focus on the candidates of the two parties vying for local and national posts.
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/here-and-there/ Readers may reach columnist at sundaypunch2@yahoo.com . For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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