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FORMER
President Joseph Estrada on Sunday vowed to enlist
support from concerned sectors and even lead daily
protest rallies against Malacañang-backed plans to
revive attempts to tinker with the Constitution—a move
seen intended to lift existing term limits by abolishing
the presidential system in favor of a parliamentary
government.
“I will
lead massive protest rallies to block Cha-cha [Charter
change],” Mr. Estrada told reporters, saying the
adoption of a parliamentary system will “deprive the
people of their right to directly elect their
president.”
“If you
have a parliament, the elite will just pick from among
themselves,” Estrada explained in Filipino, noting that
once adopted, the selection of the country’s highest
leader would be limited only to members of parliament,
with the people no longer able to directly choose whom
they want to lead them.
“I will
fight that,” he said referring to renewed efforts to
push amendments to the 1987 Constitution, reported to be
spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG).
The DILG
was said to be planning a nationwide barangay
registration drive to provide the cover for “another
bogus people’s initiative” that would bypass Congress to
fast-track moves to amend the Constitution before the
scheduled 2010 presidential elections.
Makati
Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the United Opposition,
said in a separate interview they were verifying reports
that a new barangay registration program is in the works
purportedly to identify and register residents in all
barangays which could be later be used as a signature
drive for the so-called people’s initiative to tinker
with the Charter.
At the
same time, opposition Sen. Francis Escudero suggested
that the government first focus on the adoption of
long-needed electoral reforms instead of another
initiative to change the Constitution which, he warned,
could only facilitate a “Palace power grab” plot.
“Dapat
bago pag-isipan ang pagtakbo, pag isipan ang
electoral reforms, kasi baka tumakbo madadaya
lang ng Comelec at siguruhin din na mayroong
eleksyon [Before even thinking of running, leaders
should think of electoral reforms, because without this,
elections can still be cheated; and first of all, we
should all ensure there will be elections],” the senator
said.
“We
should [also] guard against Cha-cha and a power grab
that may come from Malacañang,” he said referring to
reports about a possible “Palace coup.”
Merong
napapasarap sa pwesto ayaw nang umalis kaya sila rin ang
gumagawa halimbawa ng gulo para di na bumaba
[“Some people who enjoy power so much won’t want to step
down, so it’s not far-fetched they will also create
trouble to establish a pretext for staying on].”
Taking a
break from his visits to slum areas to thank loyal
supporters, former-President Estrada confided to
reporters that if necessary, he will enlist the support
of former President Corazon Aquino, Church leaders,
business tycoons and concerned citizens groups to join
mass actions against Cha-cha, as what Mr. Estrada, Mrs.
Aquino and the late Cardinal Jaime Sin did when former
President Fidel Ramos first attempted to use the
people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution to
lift term limits. |
