Bohol solon defends Con-Ass

Brushing aside strong public objections against the move of the House of Representatives of setting up a constituent assembly (Con-ass) to amend the Constitution, Third District Rep. Adam Relson Jala crushed criticisms pointing out that changes in the Charter is “needed for progress”.

The solon engaged in a two-hour debate over Station dyRD’s top-rated programs “Inyong Alagad” and “Pulso” yesterday with bar topnotcher and 1971 Constitutional Convention delegate former OIC governor Victor Dela Serna.

Dela Serna is one of the vocal critics of Charter Change who sounded off warnings that administration congressmen are in cahoots with President Arroyo to use constitutional amendments as a cover to stay in power beyond 2010.

Jala however lambasted this argument saying “extending term limits of the president or other elected officials is out of the picture” in the passage of House Resolution 1109.

The controversial measure empowers Congress to convene itself into a Constituent Assembly in which members of the House and the Senate would vote jointly – not separately – to amend the 1987 Constitution.

The neophyte solon stressed “the noble intentions” of House Resolution 1109 which is just the “initial step to deal with defects of the 22-year old Constitution”.

“I could not speak for my colleagues in the House who voted for the measure but I can assure you that I am against extending the term of the president beyond 2010,” the lawmaker said.

Jala added that he will be “the first one to stand against any move to include the lifting of term limits”.

The solon explained that the process of amending the Charter could not be rushed to be used as “a charade”, as perceived by its critics, allowing Pres. Arroyo to perpetuate in power.

“While I am also in favor of the shift to parliamentary form of government, I likewise agree that this should be done after 2010 to remove any doubts that Malacañang is behind the move to revise the Charter”, the solon said.

“Amending the Constitution is necessary to make it responsive to much needed reforms such as social, political and economic ills”, he stressed.

In House Resolution 1109, the provisions to be deliberated for amendments are not yet even stated yet, according to Jala.

“We are still on the stage of convening a Con-ass, and this has yet to be considered by the Supreme Court due to contradictory interpretations of this mode of amending the Charter,” the solon explained.

P20-M BRIBE?

Dela Serna cited reports that each of the congressmen who voted for House Resolution 1109 received P20-million from Malacañang.

Jala dismissed the allegations saying the report came from unnamed sources published by the national dailies.

The congressman in turn challenged Dela Serna to file a petition with him at the Supreme Court to resolve the debates on the legality of HR 1109.

According to Jala, even if majority of the congressmen approved the resolution, the amendments will still pass deliberations of the Con-ass which will eventually be submitted for approval of the electorate in a plebiscite.

Jala countered Dela Serna’s statement that about 80-percent of the country’s populace are opposed to Cha-cha as shown by nationwide independent surveys.

“There is a clear need to revise our Constitution, and if it is indeed true that so many people are against it, then there is only one way of confirming that – a plebiscite,” Jala said.

“We are going through changes in our electoral process to make it more efficient. Hence, I trust doubts that a plebiscite can be railroaded to serve the interest of a few is baseless”, Jala concluded.