Statement of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon on allegations that the Senate has softened up on the Charter Change issue during the LEDAC meeting in Malacañang this morning

Contrary to the spin that the Senate has softened up on the Charter Change issue, what actually happened in today's Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting was the opposite.

In my view, it was Malacañang that has softened up because President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has apparently abandoned the controversial People's Initiative (PI) and now favors a Con-Ass as a mode of amending the Constitution.

The Palace must have realized that the Senate is right all along: That the People's Initiative scheme is patently illegal.

This validates the information I got from a close adviser of President Arroyo that she will abandon the People's Initiative train.

My question now is: How will the national and local officials liquidate public funds that they used for the illegal People's Initiative nationwide campaign?