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Piecemeal amendments? FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/14/2011

Friday, January 14, 2011

Piecemeal amendments?

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
01/14/2011
Obviously following Noynoy’s line that the Charter should not undergo changes during his presidential term, presidential ally Sen. Serge Osmeña Wenesday proposed a no-additional expense mode for a Charter change (Cha-cha) move, either through a constituent assembly (con-ass), i.e. two chambers voting separately on a three-fourths vote to amend only certain provisos of the Charter, or do it the American way, which was, he informed the reporters, by legislating amendments to the US Constitution, which took anywhere from 10 to 15 years introducing some 26 amendments to the original American Constitution.

That sounds easy enough, despite providing all the amendments necessary within a decade and a half span, but which is certainly not practical at all and too long a time to effect changes in the Charter. Besides, another chief executive can have the Charter amended.

Serge says that calling for a duly elected constitutional convention is much too dangerous. An elected con-con can be no more dangerous than electing members of Congress. And if we can elect members of Congress which has proven much too dangerous since majority of its members become instant political turncoats and lapdogs of the Malacañang tenant, why should it be dangerous to elect delegates to the con-con to draft a new Charter?

The easy answer to this is that those who reject a change in the Charter are those who fear the system changing from presidential to parliamentary, where obviously their anointed will be a nobody in Parliament..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110114com2.html

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