A war, of sorts, is to be fought. And the battlefront is no less at the House of Representatives. There are not enough men and women to do the heroic fight. By every indication, the ruling class – the united pro-GMA bloc in Congress will see the day of victory.
In the end, however much a Golez, a Satur, an Hontiveros or a Bello and their tiny nuclear following embrace the more balanced worldview – representative of the true people’s sentiment – still, the short end of the stick goes to the minority as always.
And the majority is good at muffling dissent in a contemporary parliamentary practice that allows cutting the live wire of principled debate and discussion by an almost nerve-driven, not necessarily enlightened, exercise of chairman’s prerogative – or that tipping point when the chairman alone becomes the single last authority to rule upon a conflict.
No minority ever wins – but it can create the noise – reduced sadly as mere voice in the wilderness. The people’s Golez has never won a single episode in that continuing chain of deliberation and debate, both at the committee level as it is at the plenary.
Golez is no El Cid, come to think of it.
Most members of the ruling bloc in Congress may be said to be suffering from a kind of ‘tunnel vision’. While not too few are manifestly enlightened and can express learned views, some play token chips to add to the equivalent amount, matter-of-factly. In short, they serve as ‘Industrial Reserve Army’ whenever few more patronizing votes may be required and they play willing beneficiaries rather than victims in an emerging culture of a much more perfected politics of patronage. They have GMA as their patron saint, for good reasons.
The pendulum now swings from ConAss to ChaCha on the one end to ConCon to ChaCha on the other end. But this is not to say that the controversial House Resolution 1109 has been laid on the table or killed. It was not even archived but there is in fact a proposal that it be transmitted to the Senate for approval.
But as the very competent committee chair aptly says, any such subsequent move remains a mere proposal unless acted upon by the concerned committee. Thus, it may be a mistaken approximation to say that HR is in the ICU but rather it is just sitting at some VIP Lounge, as the case may be. HR 1109 breathes at 120 over 80 – normal – and biding its time.
Something happened that day the committee deliberated on various bills or resolutions of the same theme – a proposed Constitutional Convention. Mark August 11, 2009 as the day House Concurrent Resolution of Rep. Roilo Golez was voted against at 3 in favor and 7 against, or the nayes had it. Where will this lead to?
Let us see what will the next committee hearing will be like come August 18, 2009 – ‘same time, same place’. To add, same people, same voice, same theme. So is there a future for the more nationalist sentiment? Answer is – there is none.
The chair did not fail to advance the rather fallacious notion that them (the congressmen that they are) as representatives of the people they represent, convey their voice or stand on issues as if it were their respective constituents’ desire.
More so, the chair did not fail to advance, in the stream of discussion, his voluntary desire to send each Member a copy of some 30 to 40 proposed provisions in the present Constitution that amendments thereto may be proposed. Golez was of course, suspicious about it but it seems, the chair can reason out well his way out of the noose. Golez was struck a fatal blow with his own resolution effectively shoved aside.
It may be worth studying what the Golez resolution is all about but the gist of it, as he himself explains, is for a plebiscite or a referendum be held in a schedule allowed by existing law to determine whether or not the people approve of a Constitutional Convention. For Golez, it should coincide with the conduct of the forthcoming elections
In short, rather than Congress the one deciding that the ConCon mode be opted, it must be the people opting. It then becomes a primordial issue whether the people want that amendments to the Constitution be infused.
Serious observers of trends may see something from the shift in mood by the ruling majority that lays it suspect or – why take up ConCon while ConAss – is still alive? Well, the chair at least believes that there is simply no inconsistency that other proposals be taken up by his committee. Well, it is worth listening to how the next committee deliberation will be. Nationalists, anyone?
Popularity: 1% [?]
I don’t see a pressing need to rewrite the constitution. The reason “economic provision” is just B.S. in that there is still room to grow within the existing framework, if only people— both politician and ordinary folk don’t usurp it.
that said, If it becomes a choice between ConAss and ConCon, I would prefer the latter, IF: 1) delegates are elected post 2010; 2) no incumbent will benefit, 3) delegates are not rushed: meaning they ought to take as much time as they need to write a constitution.
yup and the philippines’ global competitiveness kulelat ranking is BS.
and the Philippines has to deal with the BS that it has one of the the lowest FDI kulelat in ASEAN
kaya hanggang ngayon ang PUI is kulelat
due to kulelat thinking
True enough, it is not for this Aquino government to say there is a need to rewrite the Constitution where even her predecessors have failed to erect. But let come what will.
And you know what? There are nearly a dozen measures filed with the Committee on Constitutional Amendments. This means that out of these 11 House bills and resolutions, there are eight (8) of such legislative measures all calling for a Constitutional Convention to amend or revise, or change, the Constitution. Do we really want Charter Change?
At least, HB 3473 and HB 5700 both call for a Constitutional Convention only with the former additionally seeking that such organization coincides with the 2010 national elections.
However, House Concurrent Resolution 26, unlike all the ten (10) other measures submits to the people the question of calling a Constitutional Convention. This is the one filed by Rep. Roilo Golez, who as many already perceived, has a razor-sharp mind in the overall work in Congress. Sadly, no one wins a more enlightened argument smashed by the ‘voting process’.
Unfortunately in that August 11 committee hearing, Golez’ pet measure has been effectively swept aside in a voting made. That said, any counter move to run against the prevailing mood to erect a Constitutional Convention for the purpose of amending, revising, or changing the Constitution can really sail full speed ahead while HCR 26 has just about lost steam. Somewhere, the politicians appear to have been bound by instruction than by conscience. Or, may be not really.
It does not come as strange that the ten bills or resolutions appear to have been worded in the same way – from the title, to the explanatory notes, to the whereases, to the mode of approval or adoption, up to the mechanics. In fact, if the manner the House Concurrent Resolution 26 of Golez were any indication or gauge, having been voted down 3-7, then there is sufficient reason to believe, the House can muster enough strength and speed to sort of ‘ram through the people’s throats’ – changing the Constitution or Charter – via the next constitutional mode of a Constitutional Convention. And how can the Senate even resist it by then?
One who reads the full texts of each of these bills or resolutions will know that, the members of the ConCon will come from every congressional district at one (1) delegate each whose election will coincide right away with the 2010 national elections. Further, they will serve for a period of only one year. In short, there is a good 12 months to introduce amendments or make a revision of the Charter. And once constructed, the new Charter will be submitted to a plebiscite or referendum within 60 days for ratification by a majority vote. Some of the measures filed are well-intentioned enough to carry the provisions that the Charter shall take effect after 2010 but others are silent.
In the final analysis, where HR 1109 ends, the upcoming consolidated HB or HR, as the case may be, begins. Either way it goes, the House of Representatives calls the shots. And the ruling bloc in Congress appears to have already prepared the menu with no less than the chair himself about ready for 30 to 40 provisions in the present Constitution that need rewriting. I shall be willing to give cocoy a copy as soon as I get myself one.
With the seeming death of HR 1109, comes the birth of a new consolidated HR, still unnumbered until after final deliberations. The opponents of HR 1109 must be on their toes to examine very carefully the copy of the proposed provisions that are sought to be incorporated into the new Charter which is being voluntarily offered by the good chair of the committee.
It likewise bears watching who will sit as the convention members of the ConCon coming as they do, from the congressional districts who will elect them. Depending on the final outcome of the consolidated measure, it may mean that about 255 new ConCon Delegates may still be financially hemorrhagic for the economy since they just might be doing too little work when amendments or revisions have sort of already been ‘customized’.
We shall soon kiss the 1987 Constitution goodbye, be that our – boon or bane!
In the CON CON and CON ASS of Marcos in 1972. There was a man
named QUINTERO. He was a delegate from the province of Leyte. And
said to be related to the then First Lady Imelda Marcos.
He brought out to the public the buying of the CON CON and CON ASS delegates by Pres. Marcos and Imelda Marcos. The man was seems to be honest; and did not like what they were doing. He refused to accept bribes. Like Fr. Ed Panlilio is doing today to Gloria Arroyo.
The Marcos preopaganda machine went against Quintero. Until he was
forgotten. And the Marcos Constitution was approved.
I think history is now repeating itself. Propaganda machine of
Gloria Arroyo are all in the media; including the Filipino Voices
Blog Webpages…There is also the buying of Congress People!