Pangilinan: On the Cha Cha

As was already previously.. nabanggit ni Senator Pimentel, a number of senators are preparing to undertake a campaign, and education and information campaign on the issue of Charte Change. Two resolutions on Charter Change passed by the Senate two weeks ago, before we went on recess, there was a consensus among several senators that there was a need to do more. May consensus kami na kailangang gumawa pa ng ibang hakbang aside from yung pagpapasa ng resolution sa Chacha para mapa-abut ito sa publiko. So we have been undertaking a series of consultation meetings dahil gusto natin Makita ang pananaw, punto de visto, at mga hakbang na isinasagawa ng ibang mga grupo, ibang mga indibidwal hinggil nga dito sa usaping Charter Change. So today we met with some individuals representing some groups who are also concerned about the manner in which the Charter Change campaign is being undertaken. And we hope to be able to go full blast in this effort to educate the public on the issue of Charter Change on the basis of our resolutions, we will inform the public as well bakit kami nagpasa ng dalawang resolusyon tungkol sa ConAss at Peoples Initiative, ano ang dahilan dito, bakit 23 ang pumirma, ang nadlagda sa una at 21 naman sa pangalawa, palagay namin ay ito ang mas makakabuti para sa publiko na nagkakaroon ng magandang panunuring o maayos na pagsusuri dito sa usapin ng Charter Change. So we hope to be able to undertake a more organized, systematic education campaign wherein a number of senators will be directly participating.

Meron nang ilang mga efforts na, for example I came back from General Santos yesterday and I was in Davao also and I undertook my own separate individual education awareness campaign on the 2 resolutions. Senate resolution 77 and (478) on Con Ass. If youll also notice, perhaps some of you have noticed that before the Holy Week break, some senators have been vocal about their position on Charter Change, particularly senators Gordon, senator Roxas also issued a statement on plans of the senate in terms of education and information, senator Pimentel. This is all part of the coordinated efforts of the senators in addressing the need to raise awareness ng ating mga kababayan dito sa usapin ng pagbabago n gating Saligang Batas.

In fact maliwanag yan dun sa aming pagpupulong, we are not against Chacha per se. and both resolutions are clear. It is not that we oppose Charter Change, but we oppose the manner in which they are proposing how we are to undertake it. Di naman tayo tutol sa Charter Change, kung Charter Change lang ang pinaguusapan. Pero ang sabi nga naming, kung may imumungkahi sa pagbabago ng Saligang Batas, dapat irerespeto yung proseso. At hindi dapat labag sa Saligang Batas at labag sa ating mga batas yung pagbabago, o yung effort na baguhin an gating Saligang Batas.

Again, ang basehan natin ay yung dalawang resolution na ipinasa ng senado. Yung unang resolution, dapat voting separately. Ang ConAss dapat voting separately. Hindi pwedeng voting as one. So yun an gating basehan kung bakit kinakailangan ipaliwanag sa publiko na hindi pupuwedeng 195 signatures na sinasabi ng Kongreso at pupuwede nang umpisahan yung pagbabago, yung mga process of proposing amendments to the Constitution. So yan, sinasabi natin sa publiko kung bakit di pupuwede yan. Pangalawa, dun naman sa Peoples Inititative. Sinasabi rin natin sa resolusyon na dahil sa Supreme Court ruling, walang enabling law, pangalawa, Inititative can only be to amend not to revise and pangatlo, kung DILG ang nagpapatakbo nito eh mukhang resources ng gobyerno ang ginagamit, which again is contrary to the spirit of the Constitutional provision on Inititative na dapat taong bayan, yung ordinary citizens at hindi yung gobyerno o taong gobyerno yung nagtutulak. So we are in effect saying that while we agree with Charter Change as a concept per se, I mean many of us do, we do not agree in the process being pushed by government, by congressmen and by some groups and individuals. Kasi dapat unahin yun eh, bago nating pagusapan kung babaguhin ba natin yung Saligang Batas o hindi, kung baga, hindi puwedeng lumarga yun tren hanggat hindi, kung walang prankesa. So first things first, eto bang effort na to ay legal o illegal? And then and only then can we start discussing other areas of Constituional Change such as whether Parliamentary is better, etc. that is one of the issues we are raising. And then kasama dun sa proseso syempre yung pagmamadali. Sa atin, naniniwala din tayo dapat may transparency. Hindi naman pupuwedeng June 15 tapos na ang boksing. That is only 60 days from now. Yung proseso din, talaga bang nagkakaroon ba ng malalim na pagaaral dito sa mga sinasabing minumungkahi dito sa Peoples Initiative? Sabi shift from a Presidential-Bicameral to a Unicameral- Parliamentary. Ang tanung dyan eh alam ba ng taung bayan o maliwanag ba sa taung bayan na kapag ganun ang nangyari, eh gusto ba nilang hindi na sila ang boboto sa ating Presidente? Yun, conveniently hindi nakakasama dito sa diskusyon. So dapat we are also concerned about the process in which the Charter Change proponents are pushing the Chacha agenda.

Binubuo pa natin [ang mechanics] but, for example, yesterday, pinulong ko ang ilang mga local official sa region 12 at pinaliwanag ko sa kanila yung dalawang resolusyon ng Senado. Tapos nagkaroon ng mga katanungan. So ganun ang isang paraan. It is a dialogue we hope to go to the schools also. Ang ating mga kabataan we hope yung mga nagsasummer class, yung iba kasi, bakasyon but yung mga summer class, siguro education fora. I have received invitations for example mula sa academe, mula sa Ateneo, for me to be a speaker sa mga Chacha discussion nila. And this is ibaibang campuses, hindi lang dito sa Maynila pati ang ibatibang campuses ng Ateneo, for example, are interested to find out more about etong Charter Change.

Of course, apart from the students, we also have civic organizations, NGOs, local government officials, my own view is that there are a lot of local officials who are not, contrary dun sa sinasabi ng ilang mga proponents ng Charter Change na solido ang mga local officials sa pagbabago ng Saligang Batas, hindi totoo yun. Contrary rin dun sa sinasabing may clamor daw sa buong Pilipinas para sa Charter Change, ang sa General Santos, sa Davao city, at sa iba pang part eng ating bansa, hindi nila alam kung saan nanggagaling ang clamor for Charter Change na yun. So meron silang mga kampanya na pinapakitang mukhang tapos na ang boksing pero ang taung bayan mismo ang nagtataka. Sa maraming parte ng Pilipinas, anong ibig sabihin nung bakit sinasabi nilang July, bat sinasabi nila June tapos na? so we can see na kapag nabigyan ng tamang impormasyon an gating mga kababayan, mas nauunawaan nila itong usapin ng Charter Change at lalong nagkakaroon ng agam-agam dito sa mga tinutulak na minamadali yung Chacha.

Sa huling banda, ang taung bayan mismo ang magsasabi kung sino ang kapanipaniwala at kung sino ang hindi kapanipaniwala. So it is really the people in the end who will decide, based on our education and information effort hindi naman tayo ang magpapasya nyan, in fact, if youwant to be strict about it, ang talagang magpapasya sa Chacha ay yung taong bayan mismo. Tayo dyan ay nagbibigay lamang pagkakataon na magpaliwanag dun sa usapin.

Siguro maaga pa sabihin kung matutuloy ang plebiscite o hindi. Yun ang gusting mangyari nung pumipilit na mgka-plebiscite na. Pero sa atin, ito ay kampanya talaga para malamn talaga ng taung bayan kung bakit pumosisyon ang senado na illegal itong Initiative na ito, malaman ng taong bayan ano yung desisyon ng Korte Suprema sa Santiago vs Comelec, malaman ng taong bayan ang itinutulak na ConAss, kung bakit hindi pupuwedeng voting jointly or together. So ito ang gusto nating palalimin pa, paguawa n gating bayan dito sa usaping Charter Change.

Dun sa mga paguusap naming dun sa Core Group nung Senate effort, hindi lamang education campaign ang magiging hakbang ng pagkilos na ito, pinagaaralan din ng mga legal cases na maaring isampa para magkaroon ng liwanag dito nsa legal questions na ito. So this is not just an education information drive but I think the bulk of it will be the education information drive pero tinitingnan din natin, we are also looking at the other action points including the possible filing of cases. So this is not, we are not limiting the Senates actions to purely education and information. We are not limiting ourselves to that.

Pinagusapan din ang funding and we will probably have to find ways and means from concerned citizens. It is an official act of the Senate, we may allocate some funds for public information dissemination but obviously may mga limits yun.

Marami sa mga rank and file ng DILG, rank and file ng Comelec, ay may agam agam din eh. Dahil alam nila may Supreme Court ruling na hindi pwede gawin ito tapos ginagawa nila. So maaari silang managot. So merong dilemma. Nabasa natin yung isang liham ng former chairman ng Comelec na si Chairman Monsod, sabi niya meron talagang mga nasa probinsya na Comelec employees na may agam agam dito sa pirma na ito, sa initiative na ito. And so ito ay panawagan na rin dun sa ating mga kasamahan sa gobyerno, our Comelec officials, our Comelec employees, rank and file DILG employees na magisip isip sila dahil maari ring meron silang pananagutang administratibo dito sa gawaing ito. Kaya siguro may mga hindi umaamin dahil may posibilidad na may pananagutan sila dito.

We are concerned because the act is illegal. We did not undertake an illegal act. And I think it is our duty, if an act is illegal, that we inform the public. The public has a right to know if the funds are being utilized for an illegal purpose. Iba yung sitwasyon. Una, hindi kami ang nagsagawa nung Initiative. Yung illegal na Initiative. At tungkulin naming bilang senador to act as a check and balance on the executive. And so therefore, dapat ipaliwanag sa publiko kung bakit ito illegal kung bakit hindi dapat gumagamit ng pondo ng gobyerno para sa isang illegal na gawain. In connection with Senate reolution 77 specifically yung expressing the sense of the Senate yung illegal itong Initiative. Pero I need to stress that the resources of the Senate are limited and we can only spend so much. There are limitations to what we can spend for public information and dissemination.

I think each senator has a budget for public information and dissemination, it can come from that already, it does not have to be a new budget.

So far those who have expressed their interest in going around the country are 8 or 9 senators. This is both opposition and administration, majority and minority. Senator Pimentel, Drilon, Osmena, myself, Roxas, Cayetano, Gordon, I believe senator Lacson, senator Biazon and several others. But I have not spoken to the others directly so I cannot speak on their behalf. But those that I have mentioned, I have spoken to them personally and they are all interested in participating in an effort to raise the awareness of the public dito sa usapin ng Charter Change.

Hindi pa nafa-finalize ang timetable but we will try to cover as much ground as possible. But its just a matter now of scheduling the different senators. During recess and even after. Senator Flavier also is also supportive of the effort. That is at least 10. yun ang mga personal na nakausap ko. At personal na nagpahiwatig ng kanilang interes na suportahan yung education campaign.