GMA denial not enough, says CBCP

Asks her to tell House allies to drop Cha-Cha moves

By Gerard Naval

DON’T just tell us, show us.

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, yesterday said it isn’t enough that President Arroyo deny she is behind renewed Charter Change moves.

What she should do instead, he said, is to tell her political allies in the House to stop pushing for constitutional amendments before the 2010 elections.

Lagdameo’s pronouncements came after he issued a statement, on behalf of the CBCP, opposing the renewed moves for Charter Change.

In the statement, Lagdameo said any move to amend the state laws must come only after the 2010 elections through Constitutional Convention (Con-Con).

"At least the people will have a wider participation by electing the members of the Constitutional Convention… not by a Con-Ass (Constituent Assembly)," Lagdameo said.

Lagdameo also welcomed the statement of El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde that he would mobilize his members to join anti-Cha-Cha protests.

Sen. Pia Cayetano cautioned her colleagues against playing into the administration’s Cha-Cha gambit, stressing the Senate’s opposition to Charter Change before 2010 should be firm and absolute.

"If Mrs. Arroyo is really sincere about not extending her rule beyond 2010, why won’t she publicly express opposition to efforts being pursued by her allies and her very own relatives at the House?" she asked.

Cayetano added: "Her continued silence indicates implicit approval for the sham con-ass initiative, and this is fueling public unrest from all sectors, including major religious groups which have chosen to break their silence."

She said senators should not discount the possibility that any Cha-Cha measure approved by both chambers before 2010 would be vulnerable to manipulation by Malacañang "to suit its own ends."

Cayetano hammered on the importance of total rejection as some of her colleagues have adopted conditional support to Charter Change.

Without naming names, she said some senators are supportive of amending the economic provisions of the Constitution while some are open to Cha-Cha as a prelude to shifting to federal form of government as originally espoused by minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Pimentel has said he would want the debate on shifting to federalism to happen now while he is senator so that he could shepherd the transitory provisions to avoid giving term extension to President Arroyo.

Some senators are also calling for a constitutional convention like Sen. Richard Gordon over the House proposal of a constituent assembly to amend the Charter. – With Dennis Gadil