Charter Change

The death of Cory may have postponed moves by the House of Representatives in its bid to amend the Constitution but in the coming days or weeks, I have this feeling that Congress will go full blast with it. At the moment, House Resolution No. 1109 hasn't been withdrawn yet.

HR No. 1109 seeks to make amendments to the Constitution through the convening of a constituent assembly (Con-ass). It aims to make the House and the Senate as one body, not separate, and voting as one. The Senate is against this and wants to vote as a separate body.

Critics claim that the main agenda of Con-ass is to change the present form of government to a parliamentary one to extend President Arroyo's stay in the Palace.

I wish Congress would end its bid for charter change and heed Cory's strongest message against it, a few months before she passed away.

“Here we are again in the midst of the shameful abuses of the powerful that seek to destroy our sacred laws. Over the years, I have learned to endure pain and sadness,” Cory said. “But perhaps, there is nothing that causes me greater pain than to see our people betrayed again and again by those they have elected to lead and serve them. To those of us who fought long and hard to restore our democracy, the pain deepens at the thought that all our gains have so quickly been eroded.”

In a few months, we will be voting again for the next president. I believe that President Arroyo has done her best for this country in her incumbency. I thank her in advance for everything she has done for us and believe that she will hand over the presidency to the new president who will be serving under the 1987 Constitution.