PIMENTEL WELCOMES CONGRESSMEN'S CONSULTATION
ON CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said he welcomes the consultation being conducted by the members of the House of Representatives with their constituents on the issue of amending the 1987 Constitution for the purpose of instituting fundamental reforms, principally changing the system of government.

Pimentel, however, cautioned the congressmen against kowtowing to a dubious administration agenda to ride on the need for overhauling the system of government to circumvent the Charter provision on term limits of elective public officials, led by the presidency, which will defeat the purpose of constitutional reforms.

"We should be vigilant against any attempt of the administration to capitalize on current amendment initiatives to push for a self-serving proposal that would allow the extension of the term of incumbent public officials, especially the President," he said.

"Such purpose is not in conformity with our proposal to amend the Constitution in order to adopt a federal system."

He said that the administration's agenda to install a parliamentary system, where the ban against the reelection of the incumbent will be rendered moot and academic, is bound to be repudiated by the people, specially in the face of continuing abuse of power and misrule by the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which has prompted disgruntled individuals and groups to file a new impeachment complaint against her.

Speaker Prospero Nograles has directed congressmen to make use of the current recess of Congress to conduct consultation dialogues with their constituents in their respective districts on the issue of constitutional amendments. The consultations are preparatory to the forthcoming floor debates on the resolution to amend the 21-year old Constitution.

Pimentel said that he is steadfastly pursuing the shift from the highly-centralized unitary system to a federal system to provide a political solution to Muslim insurgency in Mindanao and to accelerate the country's march towards economic progress.

He has maintained that the process for amending the Constitution should start now by converting Congress into a Constituent Assembly, instead of deferring this to the post-2010 election period.

Contrary to apprehensions of certain political leaders who are aspiring for the presidency, Pimentel said the moves to amend the Constitution will not cause the cancellation of the 2010 presidential election. He explained that the federal system he is proposing does not mean that the presidential structure of government will be dismantled.

According to Pimentel, the presidency and Congress will be retained under a system where there is separation of powers and checks and balance between the executive and legislative branches of government.