Next Tuesday, the Committee on Constitutional Amendments chaired by Cong. Victor Ortega will decide on the fate of Speaker Prospero Nograles' bill or House Resolution No. 1109 which pushes for a convening of Congress into an assembly to propose amendments to the 1987 Constitution. Analysts say, this is a last ditch attempt at charter change. It seeks to exclude the Senate in the voting for amendments to expedite the main motive for the bill---the change from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government to allow Mrs. Arroyo to run as Congressman and seek the Prime Ministership (see Philippine Daily Inquirer report)
One question---what is the effect of the soon-to-be political marriage of Lakas and KAMPI to this attempt at cha-cha? Yesterday, the main proponents of this merger already invented a name for themselves--LAKAS KAMPI CMD. This merger, I think, is the strongest possible political coalition for the administration. And it will be the biggest political party should it comes to fruition.
While members of LAKAS and KAMPI are preparing for the elections, some of their members are still trying to pass charter change using the back door. Now, will this latest dig at cha-cha be one of the sour points of this coalition? Some politicians whom I chanced upon yesterday said that most, if not all, are against cha-cha. However, some said that the Las Vegas trip was a PR event, meant to provide the numbers for the passage of the Nograles bill.
Now, should Congress pursue their Tuesday thing and LAKAS-KAMPI CMD opposed it, it surely would lead to a fractious political marriage. Will the new LAKAS-KAMPI CMD be able to conveniently trade this off in exchange for what?
Showing posts with label charter change in the philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charter change in the philippines. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Emergence of One Elite Rule
Are we ready for another authoritarian rule? Yes, and we are helpless about it and will just succumb to this without bloodshed. Let me tell you why.
First, the forces of conservative politics or what I call the "political elite pushers" are stronger now than the forces of change agents. Simply, if there will be a direct clash between those who want change and those who want the status quo, obviously, the battle will be short-lived and would definitely favor the political elite. This imbalance of power stems from the inability of the movement for change to recruit new faces. There simply are fewer places to mold or cultivate new leaders right now, what with the slowly changing student movement in UP and other places. Worst, the movement is not adequately addressing the problem of leadership succession since the irony of the "Movement" for "change" is simply, it is anemic to internal changes especially when it comes to replacing the old guards with new ones. For many years, we have seen no new faces; only those old, tired bodies leading the charge using old, worn-out slogans.
On the conservative political front, they neither have problems on new leadership nor suffer from succession. Quite simply, the forces of conservatism are being bolstered by the emergence of the scions of the political elite who position themselves as change agents but, are, in truth and in fact, belong to the same, old dirty mold as their fathers and their mothers were. But, being inbued by youth, people see them in a totally agreeable light, blinded by the sparkle of their political pedigree.
This apparent weakness of the opposition stems from the lack of audacity and creativity coming from those who hold the reins of leadership within the movement. The lack of a unified front to fight the forces of conservatism places the entire country into perilous waters. If push comes to shove, the Filipino people do not have a strong, credible and creative force that would hinder or even defeat this gigantuan push of conservatism to effectively plant the seeds of one-man rule.
I shudder to admit it, but the Movement is now at its weakest since the failed attempts which began in 2005. It has been weakened by internal dissension, the lack of a collective agreement on post-Gloria matters, the lack of a definitive ideology that would guide the movement into a collective force and plain and simple, streaks of bad luck due to misapplication of strategies, misappreciation of the political terrain and weather and, finances.
Second, I hate to admit it, but discussions against charter change are being weakened by disparate voices coming ironically from those who oppose it. The very ones who oppose charter change are actually the ones helping this administration justify the imposition of cha-cha. Ask those senators who "oppose cha-cha" and you'll find that, indeed, they support it, but they just want to reserve it for the meantime since it's just one and half years before Gloria steps down. Others, well, they simply oppose cha-cha because of the prospect of term extension.
Third, in desperate times, people always, by nature, want to cling to something less benign and subtly devilish, but perceived as "sublime". Talks about "gringoism", " caudilloism" and "extra-constitutionalism" are spreading, creating a veritable first perception on dissent. Constant and consistent talks centering on this creates a psycho-linguistic backlash that could, indeed, prep up the citizenry to support authoritarianism. News on rising criminality, the prospect of war, state terrorism, lack of peace and order are communicative means aimed at the formation of one sociological world-view---the need for order coming from a unified power.
Lastly, the fluidity of the political situation favors the sudden entry of a "third force" positioning themselves as change agents. As I predicted a couple of entries back, both the traditional conservative forces and the old traditional leftist groups are cancelling themselves out. What is emerging is a third force that combines the good elements of Leftist ideology and the strong conservative pull of societal forces. This third force may be composed of old fogeys of the existing dispensation, just hiding their real dark selves behind the cloak of constitutionalism. What has been created are neo, mini Marcoses who adapted in the ultra liberal political environment and want to concentrate power just among themselves, along with control of resources.
Eventually, even without a coup or charter change, we are actually witnessing our country entering into the banana republic mode just by condoning these constitutional actions of a few pseudo and would-be Marcoses.
First, the forces of conservative politics or what I call the "political elite pushers" are stronger now than the forces of change agents. Simply, if there will be a direct clash between those who want change and those who want the status quo, obviously, the battle will be short-lived and would definitely favor the political elite. This imbalance of power stems from the inability of the movement for change to recruit new faces. There simply are fewer places to mold or cultivate new leaders right now, what with the slowly changing student movement in UP and other places. Worst, the movement is not adequately addressing the problem of leadership succession since the irony of the "Movement" for "change" is simply, it is anemic to internal changes especially when it comes to replacing the old guards with new ones. For many years, we have seen no new faces; only those old, tired bodies leading the charge using old, worn-out slogans.
On the conservative political front, they neither have problems on new leadership nor suffer from succession. Quite simply, the forces of conservatism are being bolstered by the emergence of the scions of the political elite who position themselves as change agents but, are, in truth and in fact, belong to the same, old dirty mold as their fathers and their mothers were. But, being inbued by youth, people see them in a totally agreeable light, blinded by the sparkle of their political pedigree.
This apparent weakness of the opposition stems from the lack of audacity and creativity coming from those who hold the reins of leadership within the movement. The lack of a unified front to fight the forces of conservatism places the entire country into perilous waters. If push comes to shove, the Filipino people do not have a strong, credible and creative force that would hinder or even defeat this gigantuan push of conservatism to effectively plant the seeds of one-man rule.
I shudder to admit it, but the Movement is now at its weakest since the failed attempts which began in 2005. It has been weakened by internal dissension, the lack of a collective agreement on post-Gloria matters, the lack of a definitive ideology that would guide the movement into a collective force and plain and simple, streaks of bad luck due to misapplication of strategies, misappreciation of the political terrain and weather and, finances.
Second, I hate to admit it, but discussions against charter change are being weakened by disparate voices coming ironically from those who oppose it. The very ones who oppose charter change are actually the ones helping this administration justify the imposition of cha-cha. Ask those senators who "oppose cha-cha" and you'll find that, indeed, they support it, but they just want to reserve it for the meantime since it's just one and half years before Gloria steps down. Others, well, they simply oppose cha-cha because of the prospect of term extension.
Third, in desperate times, people always, by nature, want to cling to something less benign and subtly devilish, but perceived as "sublime". Talks about "gringoism", " caudilloism" and "extra-constitutionalism" are spreading, creating a veritable first perception on dissent. Constant and consistent talks centering on this creates a psycho-linguistic backlash that could, indeed, prep up the citizenry to support authoritarianism. News on rising criminality, the prospect of war, state terrorism, lack of peace and order are communicative means aimed at the formation of one sociological world-view---the need for order coming from a unified power.
Lastly, the fluidity of the political situation favors the sudden entry of a "third force" positioning themselves as change agents. As I predicted a couple of entries back, both the traditional conservative forces and the old traditional leftist groups are cancelling themselves out. What is emerging is a third force that combines the good elements of Leftist ideology and the strong conservative pull of societal forces. This third force may be composed of old fogeys of the existing dispensation, just hiding their real dark selves behind the cloak of constitutionalism. What has been created are neo, mini Marcoses who adapted in the ultra liberal political environment and want to concentrate power just among themselves, along with control of resources.
Eventually, even without a coup or charter change, we are actually witnessing our country entering into the banana republic mode just by condoning these constitutional actions of a few pseudo and would-be Marcoses.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Gloria's Twin Trojan Horses
Like what we said a long time ago, this administration is hell-bent on ramming charter change down our very throats. Two resolutions are being circulated now--one for charter change as proposed by Gloria's son Rep. Mikey Arroyo and another one, the proposal for the lifting of restrictions on foreign ownership authored by Speaker Prospero Nograles. Sources at the House reveals that Mikey already got 150 signatures (157 as of I'm writing this) while on that proposal by Nograles about 163 signatures. These two proposals are expected to get between 198-210 votes.
These proposals are Gloria's Trojan Horses, meant to allow amendments to the Constitution. When Mikey and Noggie gets their assurances and signatures, nothing will prevent them from submitting it to the floor for deliberations and definitely, these two will be put to a vote.
Mikey and Noggie will win. Of course, anti-charter change activists will eventually question these two proposals before the Supreme Court. The High Tribunal will deliberate and possibly give their decision either on the last week of January or the second week of February by which time it would be sufficient for this administration to form or reconstitute Congress and pass these charter change amendments. Obviously, those anti-charter change proponents at the Supreme Court would have retired their black robes by that time, allowing Gloria's appointees to pass these proposals and give it their judicial stamp. There will just be one issue to be resolved--whether to constitute the House as one voting block or follow the widely-held belief that the voting for amendments should be done separately.
Come 2009, it will be 2003 all over again---Gloria will again use the Supreme Court to justify her illegal occupation of Malacanang. Before, a Davide Supreme Court invented the term "constructive resignation" to signify the replacement by Gloria of Erap. In 2009, a new Supreme Court will again be asked to give that judicial stamp to an illegal proposal to extend Gloria's term.
It has been the halmark of this administration to use the law to justify their immoral actions. This government has thrown morality and ethics away and use the law as a refuge for their evil and illegal intentions.
Assurances made by Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile that charter change will never go pass the Upper Chamber is whimsical, at best, deceptive. Why? Because the plan of Gloria is actually to invalidate the relevance of the Senate anyway. What Gloria and her misfits plan to do is fuse the House into one and abolish the Senate. Yes, these senators and their staff will howl themselves hoarse, but with a favorable decision from the Supreme Court, they will not be able to stem the stronger force of Gloria. They will be defeated.
With a weak civil society and opposition, I fear that Gloria and her gang of misfits will get what they want--a term extension beyond 2010. Even in previous years, that has been the plan of Gloria--remain in power until 2020. That's why most of the plans of this administration has 2020 written all over it.
Now, this all the more justifies the removal of Gloria and her gang of misfits before 2010, for two reasons: First, the people don't trust her and her gang anymore. Will Gloria ensure a clean and honest elections in 2010? Even if she succeeds in making it clean, people will still think it's not because of the country's experience in 2004. What if Gloria's bet wins in 2010 fair and square? People will still think that Gloria manipulated the elections to favor the administration bet. Second, there should be a move to make Gloria and her gang accountable for all these scandals. We can't move forward if we don't build a Truth Commission. If we don't file and punish Gloria before 2010, we will not be able to move decisively forward and our future will always be in jeopardy.
Yet, whatever I say now, it's useless. Gloria and her gang of misfits are sure to win this time. We don't have a solid and strong opposition. And most of those who want real change are themselves helpless. Mounting something big against charter change requires a bigger than usual logistics. Will those wealthy patrons of lost causes part some of their blessings for the bigger and loftier actions of the People? I doubt it.
So, if the People refuses to act now, since they're being lulled again to sleep with these news on gasoline rollbacks and cuts on the prices of tinapay, then, be ready to lose to Gloria and her minions soon.
These proposals are Gloria's Trojan Horses, meant to allow amendments to the Constitution. When Mikey and Noggie gets their assurances and signatures, nothing will prevent them from submitting it to the floor for deliberations and definitely, these two will be put to a vote.
Mikey and Noggie will win. Of course, anti-charter change activists will eventually question these two proposals before the Supreme Court. The High Tribunal will deliberate and possibly give their decision either on the last week of January or the second week of February by which time it would be sufficient for this administration to form or reconstitute Congress and pass these charter change amendments. Obviously, those anti-charter change proponents at the Supreme Court would have retired their black robes by that time, allowing Gloria's appointees to pass these proposals and give it their judicial stamp. There will just be one issue to be resolved--whether to constitute the House as one voting block or follow the widely-held belief that the voting for amendments should be done separately.
Come 2009, it will be 2003 all over again---Gloria will again use the Supreme Court to justify her illegal occupation of Malacanang. Before, a Davide Supreme Court invented the term "constructive resignation" to signify the replacement by Gloria of Erap. In 2009, a new Supreme Court will again be asked to give that judicial stamp to an illegal proposal to extend Gloria's term.
It has been the halmark of this administration to use the law to justify their immoral actions. This government has thrown morality and ethics away and use the law as a refuge for their evil and illegal intentions.
Assurances made by Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile that charter change will never go pass the Upper Chamber is whimsical, at best, deceptive. Why? Because the plan of Gloria is actually to invalidate the relevance of the Senate anyway. What Gloria and her misfits plan to do is fuse the House into one and abolish the Senate. Yes, these senators and their staff will howl themselves hoarse, but with a favorable decision from the Supreme Court, they will not be able to stem the stronger force of Gloria. They will be defeated.
With a weak civil society and opposition, I fear that Gloria and her gang of misfits will get what they want--a term extension beyond 2010. Even in previous years, that has been the plan of Gloria--remain in power until 2020. That's why most of the plans of this administration has 2020 written all over it.
Now, this all the more justifies the removal of Gloria and her gang of misfits before 2010, for two reasons: First, the people don't trust her and her gang anymore. Will Gloria ensure a clean and honest elections in 2010? Even if she succeeds in making it clean, people will still think it's not because of the country's experience in 2004. What if Gloria's bet wins in 2010 fair and square? People will still think that Gloria manipulated the elections to favor the administration bet. Second, there should be a move to make Gloria and her gang accountable for all these scandals. We can't move forward if we don't build a Truth Commission. If we don't file and punish Gloria before 2010, we will not be able to move decisively forward and our future will always be in jeopardy.
Yet, whatever I say now, it's useless. Gloria and her gang of misfits are sure to win this time. We don't have a solid and strong opposition. And most of those who want real change are themselves helpless. Mounting something big against charter change requires a bigger than usual logistics. Will those wealthy patrons of lost causes part some of their blessings for the bigger and loftier actions of the People? I doubt it.
So, if the People refuses to act now, since they're being lulled again to sleep with these news on gasoline rollbacks and cuts on the prices of tinapay, then, be ready to lose to Gloria and her minions soon.
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