SENATE CANNOT BE COERCED TO CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION – GORDON
Eli Maraon
The Senate cannot be coerced and much less made irrelevant in the move to change the Constitution by constituent assembly, according to Senator Richard J. Gordon.
Gordon said that since we have a bicameral Legislature, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, ¾ voting to propose any amendment to, or revision of the Constitution must be done separately, alluding to the 1986 Constitutional Commission deliberations in support.
The Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws, where Gordon sits as Chairman, discussed this matter extensively during the Senate hearing last January 18, 2006; and, it was made clear that the Senate cannot be bypassed on this very important exercise to change the Constitution.
Gordon said that the proponents of charter change in the House of Representatives cannot railroad the process of amending or revising the Constitution. He declared that if they insist on their diabolical plan and political maneuvering to change the Constitution and shift to a unicameral parliament by the mere plurality of numbers, then they are instigating a political crisis in which the Supreme Court would have to correct, which the country does not need at this time.
He observed that the move to hastily amend the Constitution is highly suspicious. “Change for whose benefit? We may have a new constitution and new form of government, but will it really serve the needs of the Filipino people or will it simply be borne out of political opportunism and used as a means to perpetuate power?,” asked Gordon.
Gordon declared that the Constitution must be changed only for the right reasons and at the right time. Most members of the Senate do not think it is the right time to engage in charter change, especially now that there are many pressing issues facing the President and the nation today that are of primary importance.
Those in favor of charter change are selling this as a cure-all for our country’s problems, “but charter change, including changing the form of government, is not a panacea and cannot guarantee prosperity for the nation,” said Gordon.
Gordon noted that we have had our Constitution revised in 1973 and 1986, but it did not bring about the fundamental change to the lives of the people that had been promised in the past. By now, the people should realize that changing the Constitution is not the answer to our nation’s problems. Fundamental change can only be effected by a government whose leaders are truly dedicated to uplifting the lives of the people. Instead of charter change, our leaders must make themselves worthy by fulfilling their prime duty to protect and serve the people.
“We must focus on fixing our nation’s problems like addressing the deficiency in education, as well as engaging in an urgent campaign for electoral reform and modernization by 2007. We also need to improve the people’s lives. Life is extremely hard for Filipinos nowadays and they need jobs and livelihood opportunities in areas such as tourism, agriculture, and information technology. This should be the top priority of the Government right now, not charter change,” said Gordon.
The Senate cannot be coerced and much less made irrelevant in the move to change the Constitution by constituent assembly, according to Senator Richard J. Gordon.
Gordon said that since we have a bicameral Legislature, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, ¾ voting to propose any amendment to, or revision of the Constitution must be done separately, alluding to the 1986 Constitutional Commission deliberations in support.
The Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws, where Gordon sits as Chairman, discussed this matter extensively during the Senate hearing last January 18, 2006; and, it was made clear that the Senate cannot be bypassed on this very important exercise to change the Constitution.
Gordon said that the proponents of charter change in the House of Representatives cannot railroad the process of amending or revising the Constitution. He declared that if they insist on their diabolical plan and political maneuvering to change the Constitution and shift to a unicameral parliament by the mere plurality of numbers, then they are instigating a political crisis in which the Supreme Court would have to correct, which the country does not need at this time.
He observed that the move to hastily amend the Constitution is highly suspicious. “Change for whose benefit? We may have a new constitution and new form of government, but will it really serve the needs of the Filipino people or will it simply be borne out of political opportunism and used as a means to perpetuate power?,” asked Gordon.
Gordon declared that the Constitution must be changed only for the right reasons and at the right time. Most members of the Senate do not think it is the right time to engage in charter change, especially now that there are many pressing issues facing the President and the nation today that are of primary importance.
Those in favor of charter change are selling this as a cure-all for our country’s problems, “but charter change, including changing the form of government, is not a panacea and cannot guarantee prosperity for the nation,” said Gordon.
Gordon noted that we have had our Constitution revised in 1973 and 1986, but it did not bring about the fundamental change to the lives of the people that had been promised in the past. By now, the people should realize that changing the Constitution is not the answer to our nation’s problems. Fundamental change can only be effected by a government whose leaders are truly dedicated to uplifting the lives of the people. Instead of charter change, our leaders must make themselves worthy by fulfilling their prime duty to protect and serve the people.
“We must focus on fixing our nation’s problems like addressing the deficiency in education, as well as engaging in an urgent campaign for electoral reform and modernization by 2007. We also need to improve the people’s lives. Life is extremely hard for Filipinos nowadays and they need jobs and livelihood opportunities in areas such as tourism, agriculture, and information technology. This should be the top priority of the Government right now, not charter change,” said Gordon.
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
7:12 PM
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