Press Release
January 16, 2006
Malacañang
timeline on Cha-Cha "wishful thinking," says Drilon
"The timeline by Malacañang
for Charter Change is wishful thinking."
Thus was the reaction today of Senate President and Liberal Party
head Franklin Drilon to reports that President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo, Speaker Jose de Venecia and Lakas will propose seven
amendments to the Constitution in their bid to move the country to
the parliamentary system in a period of six months.
Gabriel Claudio, the presidents political adviser, said the
timeline proposed during the caucus of the ruling Lakas-Christian
Muslim Democrats party (Lakas-CMD) last Saturday, was doable. It
included the approval of the proposed seven amendments either by
Congress sitting as a constituent assembly or a people's initiative
not later than March 22, 2006.
Drilon said the Senate, particularly the Committee on Constitutional
Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws chaired by Sen. Richard
Gordon, will have to conduct extensive public consultations and
debates "on the merits of these proposals to amend the 1987
Constitution, and the preferred mode of amending the same."
"I am afraid this talk about imposing a timeline and forcing that
the debates on Charter Change be finished by March is wishful
thinking on the part of Malacañang
," Drilon explained.
By putting a timeline on when the process of amending the
Constitution should be finished, Malacañang
would be "turning off" a
number of senators who may be in favor of Charter Change, Drilon
said.
"Even Senators who may be supportive of Charter Change will agree
with me that finishing the debates by March this year would be an
impossible task," Drilon said.
The Senate President said that "even for the sake of argument,
Malacañang
can muster 13 votes in the Senate to endorse the
convening of a constituent assembly; and then get 18 Senate votes to
approve the proposed constitutional amendments, there is no may we
can finish this process by March."
The Senate President also said he agreed with the views of his
colleagues that will not be "dictated upon" by President Arroyo and
Lakas-CMD into amending the 1987 Constitution.
"I am confident that the Senate will never succumb to these
pressures exerted by Malacañang
and Lakas leaders," Drilon said.
"Talking about changing our form of government is not an ordinary
piece of legislation," Drilon said. "The last time I checked our
Constitution, the Senate is still an institution whose concurrence
is needed for this very important task."
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