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By Fort Nicolas Correspondent
DAVAO CITY: A group here has
reminded the newly elected Speaker House of Representatives of his
proposal to push a Constitutional Convention and pave the way for
the shift to a federal system of government.
In an open letter to House
Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. released to the media Wednesday, Rey
Magno Teves, chairman and convenor of the Lihuk Pideral Mindanaw,
congratulated the Davao City representative for his “historic”
achievement. Teves apparently was referring to Nograles being the
first from Mindanao to head the House of Representatives. He assured
Nograles of support “for whatever special efforts you would pursue
to promote the Mindanao interest.”
Teves noted that Nograles had
proposed the election of delegates to a Constitutional Convention in
conjunction with the national elections of May 2010. Supposedly, the
Davao City congressman also spoke of convening the convention in the
latter part of 2010 or the following year to propose amendments to
the 1987 Constitution. The amendments also supposedly will see to
the shift from the presidential to federal system by 2016.
Late last month, Nograles
dissuaded the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines from
launching the so-called “People’s Initiative 2” in order to
effect changes in the Constitution. He reasoned that a
Constitutional Convention is the only mode of introducing amendments
that both the opposition and the administration would find
acceptable. People’s Initiative 2 would have been an attempt to
resurrect “People’s Initiative 1,” a signature-gathering
campaign. It was eventually deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court.
“There should now be a united
move for all Charter-change proponents to agree in holding a
[Constitutional Convention] after the election of delegates in
2010,” Nograles was quoted as saying.
Earlier, Bataan Gov. Enrique
Garcia disclosed that the authorities’ union is set to launch the
People’s Initiative 2, saying local executives have learned their
mistakes from the previous attempt for Charter change.
Teves said Nograles’s pursuit
of changes in the Constitution, particularly the shift to a federal
system, could be the start of collaborative work between Mindanao
groups and the first Speaker from Mindanao.
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