Charter Change Should Not Be a Ploy to Allow Arroyo to Run Again

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Nene” Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said he sees nothing wrong with
the series of administration-sponsored roadshows
intended to drum up public support for fresh
initiatives to amend the 1987 Constitutions with the
adoption of a federal system of government as ultimate
proposal.

Pimentel said the Charter Change activities now being
undertaken by governors and other local government
executives will complement continuing moves in
Congress to propose a federal system to replace the
existing highly centralized unitary system.

In fact, Pimentel said he is set to file a joint
congressional resolution seeking the adoption of the
federal system but retaining the presidential
structure with a two-chamber Congress.

However, he warned Malacañang and its legislative and
local government allies against making the federalism
proposal a ploy for justify continued stay in power of
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo beyond 2010.

“I fear that if they will take advantage of the
federalism proposal to circumvent the constitutional
prohibition against the reelection of the incumbent
president, this will just turn off our people and
again frustrate well-meaning attempts to pursue
constitutional reforms,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel said he has been advocating the shift to
federalism for more than two decades now because he
believes it is a system of government that will: 1.
address the aspirations of Muslim Filipinos for
genuine autonomy and end the secessionist conflict in
the South; 2. accelerate the economic growth of the
country; and 3. solve the grievances of people in the
Visayas and Mindanao over inequitable distribution of
the national wealth due to the monopoly of power by
Imperial Manila.

He noted that the Arroyo administration is pushing the
federalism proposal to help break the deadlock in the
government’s peace negotiation with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front.

However, Pimentel stressed that the federal setup
should apply to the entire country, with the proposed
BangsaMoro federal state as one of the 10 component
states under his proposal.

He said he is in favor of retaining the presidential
system because most Filipinos would not give up their
right to directly elect the head of the government
(president).

In a parliamentary system, the head of government
(prime minister) is directly elected by members of
parliament from among themselves.
-o0o-

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