Aurea Calica
Philippine Star

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. urged his colleagues yesterday to keep an open mind on his proposal to amend the Constitution and allow a federal system of government.

Pimentel urged the senators not to shut the doors on his proposal, pointing out that they have the power to prevent any move to extend the term of the incumbent President or lift the ban on reelection.

Pimentel took offense at arguments that his proposal could be used by Malacañang as a vehicle to allow President Arroyo to stay in power beyond 2010.

He said Malacañang or its allies must come up with their own proposal if they have an agenda other than creating a federal government.

Pimentel said fears that his proposal under Joint Resolution No. 10 to amend the Constitution and change the country’s political system into a federal state should not be the primary reason for his fellow senators withdrawing their support.

He admitted though that there were not enough safeguards to prevent insertion of other agenda, possibly including proposals to extend the term of the President and other elected officials or allow her another chance for reelection.

Pimentel said there are safety nets that will prevent any hidden political agenda from riding on his proposal.

Pimentel said the concern of helping the country’s regions, particularly Mindanao, to develop and have more autonomy is the primary issue in the proposal for federalism.

Malacañang, on the other hand, reiterated its support for Pimentel’s proposal for federalism and insisted it has no hidden agenda.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez said the moves to amend the Constitution, through the proposal made by Pimentel, are all meant to find lasting peace in the south and nothing else.

Golez said the concerns of the opposition, including the senators who withdrew their support for Pimentel’s proposal, are unfounded.

Golez, however, noted the concerns about the support given by Malacañang to amend the Constitution as a ploy to extend the term of Mrs. Arroyo or allow her to seek reelection.

“Our President knows the Constitution very well and no statement can outweigh the expressed conditions of our Constitution limiting the term of the President,” Golez said.

He pointed out the final say on constitutional amendments remains with Congress and Malacañang can only extend its support or oppose any of these efforts.

Malacañang’s allies in Congress led by Speaker Prospero Nograles, for their part, assured critics and the opposition that they will exhaustively discuss the proposals for as long as the people wanted them to.

“Let’s do (it) the right way. If the people really want Charter change, then let’s do it – but let’s do it right under the true spirit and intent of the Constitution,” he said.

“We cannot afford to commit the same mistakes and waste time, effort and public money. The people’s sovereign will is the most important ingredient in this political process.”

Nograles said public consultations over the issue should be conducted, “to correct the past infirmities of previous Cha-cha (Charter change) initiatives.”

Nograles tasked congressmen to initiate public consultations and seek the true pulse of their respective constituencies.

“We must rub elbows with our respective constituencies and ask them what they really want,” he said.

Nograles said Mrs. Arroyo’s support for Pimentel’s proposal echoed the long desire of Mindanaoans for a federal state.

“President Arroyo only publicly expressed her support to the Senate Charter change initiative to make way for a federal form of government which we, as Mindanaoans, fully advocate for the sake of unity and peace,” Nograles said.

Only after 2010

Another administration lawmaker, for her part, said the support given by Malacañang suffers from serious “perception problem.”

Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong said Charter change moves will only prosper if there will be an assurance from Malacañang that the constitutional changes should be implemented after the 2010 general elections.

“Although Cha-cha is a good initiative, it is suffering from credibility and perception problems. Malacañang should work hard to save (the initiative) by convincing the President to heed the public clamor for its deferment,’ Limkaichong said.

Limkaichong proposed to proceed with the process of amending the Charter but deferring the implementation of the amendments until after 2010.

“We should implement it later, to dispel the wrong perception that those doing it are out to perpetuate themselves in power,” she said.

Another lawmaker urged Mrs. Arroyo against using the federalism proposal of Pimentel and the botched agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to extend her stay in power.

“We oppose the malicious use of the Moro people’s legitimate struggle for self-determination for this administration’s Charter change agenda and the opposition’s cashing in on the issue to attack the administration and push their own political interest,” said Rep. Mujiv Hataman of party-list Anak Mindanao.

Hataman said other fellow Muslim lawmakers are supporting the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) with the MILF for the simple reason that they believe “that this is a most viable step toward peace in Mindanao.”

Hataman said the MOA-AD no longer requires amendments to the Constitution, pointing out the government and the MILF have already agreed to implement its provisions only after a final peace agreement is reached.

Hataman said the MOA-AD would work under the legal framework of Republic Act 9054, or the law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“And one cannot uphold RA 9054 without upholding the Constitution,” Hataman said.

Pimentel, on the other hand, said his federalism proposal should not be linked with the peace negotiations with the MILF, particularly the botched signing of the MOA-AD that would have allowed the Muslim separatist group self-rule.

The Supreme Court has stopped the signing of the MOA-AD following the petitions of local government officials in Mindanao over constitutional concerns.

“In my opinion, let us just wait for the decision of the Supreme Court (on the MOA-AD). On my part, I will continue to push for my proposal for a federal state,” Pimentel said, adding that he has pushed for federalism since 1982.

According to Pimentel, the MOA-AD is patently unconstitutional but stressed his proposal for a federal Muslim state is different.

“I want a federal system where the Bangsamoro people could have a federal state, which is currently covered by the ARMM,” he said.

– With Marvin Sy, Delon Porcalla and Perseus Echeminada