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By Efren L. Danao Senior, Reporter
Sen. Joker Arroyo said Thursday a new attempt to
amend the 1987 Constitution to switch to a federal system and create
11 federal states would create “11 little fiefdoms and 11 little
kings.”
Joint Resolution 10 for Charter change, or
“Cha-cha,” principally authored by Senate Minority Leader
Aquilino Pimentel Jr., has already obtained the endorsement of 15
senators. Pimentel said the number of signatories would even reach
18, as he expressed optimism that the resolution would get moving in
the Senate.
Senator Arroyo, however, predicted that
Pimentel’s push for federalism would eventually fail. He pointed
out that various attempts to switch from presidential to
parliamentary failed in the past because public opinion was averse
to venture into unfamiliar ground.
“The attempt to switch from unitary to
federalism will fail for the same fear of the unknown,” he said.
Senator Arroyo also twitted a proposal for a
Constituent Assembly, or “Con-ass,” to amend the Constitution.
“That is daydreaming,” he said. “Once
Congress convenes as a Constituent Assembly, who can prevent the
same Congress from expanding the amendments to any other thing? Open
sesame.”
Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. said he
signed Joint Resolution 10 on federalism “with reservations.”
“This does not mean that I am already in
agreement with it. That depends on the results of debates [on the
proposal],” he clarified.
Villar acknowledged that many local officials
from Mindanao had requested the Senate to start talking about
federalism and he thought that it was appropriate to accommodate the
request.
“This resolution is merely [meant] to start
the debates on federalism. It is good for senators to have an open
mind,” he said.
The resolution was signed by Senators Pimentel,
Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Francis
Escudero, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Pia Cayetano, Ramon “Bong” Revilla
Jr., Lito Lapid, Juan Ponce Enrile, Edgardo Angara, Gregorio Honasan,
Panfilo Lacson, and Benigno Aquino 3rd.
Sen. Loren Legarda was earlier mentioned by
Pimentel as among those who conditionally endorsed the resolution.
She said there are still many unanswered questions about federalism,
and she would not commit until the whole issue has been clarified.
Pimentel said the 2010 presidential elections
would push through despite Joint Resolution 10 and that the shift to
a federal system would not result in the extension or diminution of
terms of incumbent officials.
He has been batting for a federal system of
government for more than 20 years, but he opposed the previous
attempt to amend the Constitution by followers of President Gloria
Arroyo because he feared that it would result in the extension of
her term. President Arroyo’s watch ends in 2010 and elections in
that year will pick her successor.
Nograles for federalism
House Speaker Prospero Nograles also on Thursday
said he will support the proposal for a federal form of government
if the shift from the presidential system at present will be
effected after the 2010 polls.
Nograles admitted that he was unsettled by the
turnaround made by the senators who had signed Joint Resolution 10,
which calls for Charter change, or “Cha-cha,” through a
Constitutional Assembly, or “Con-ass.” The Constitutional
Assembly, according to the senators, will push for federalism, which
will be a key amendment to the 1987 Constitution.
“It’s a pleasant surprise because the Senate
has a long history of opposing any moves to amend the
Constitution,” he said.
The Senate helped shoot down previous attempts
to amend the Constitution, starting with then-President Fidel
Ramos’ People’s Initiative for Reform, Modernization and Action,
or “PIRMA,” to then-President Joseph Estrada’s Constitutional
Correction for Development, or “CONCORD,” and the People’s
Initiative under the Arroyo administration.
Nograles said the intention of the senators to
push for “Cha-cha” would now erase the impression that amending
the Constitution is a ploy by administration allies to extend the
term of Mrs. Arroyo beyond 2010.
The Speaker, reputedly an advocate of
federalism, said he plans to meet with Pimentel next week to explore
possible areas of cooperation between the House of Representatives
and the Senate on the proposal.
Federalism, Nograles pointed out, is dear to him
and other leaders from Mindanao who have “long clamored” for it.
The Speaker represents Davao City in the House
of Representatives. The city is in Mindanao, a southern region and
the country’s second-biggest group of islands that is also home to
a Muslim minority.
11 component states
Earlier, Pimentel said his version of
“Cha-cha” will create 11 component federal states to elect six
senators each besides nine senators to represent overseas Filipino
workers, bringing the total number to 75. At present, there are 24
seats in the Senate.
Joint Resolution 10 recommends that members of
the House of Representatives be elected by district but limited to a
maximum of 350 seats.
The resolution provides that the senators will
serve for a term of six years and congressmen, three years. The
senators will be limited to two terms and congressmen, four terms.
Pimentel said the move to do away with the
election of senators on a nationwide basis will considerably lessen
the cost of elections and keep them from succumbing to dishonest
acts to recover campaign expenses to pay off poll-related debts.
By electing senators by federal states, he
added, the chronic problem of lack of representation or
under-representation of certain regions of the country will be
effectively resolved.
Pimentel said he had drafted the resolution in
response to requests of his fellow senators, several congressmen,
and local government officials who believe in the merits of the
federal system. Federalism has been his major advocacy since 1982.
Since a majority of senators have signed
Resolution 10, he added that he is confident that the Senate will
start soonest the debates on his proposal.
-- With Sammy Martin
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