MANILA, 23 December 2005 — Former President Fidel Ramos yesterday said a proposal to cancel the Philippines’ 2007 midterm elections and extend the terms of all elected officials is a bad idea that should not see the light of day.
In an exceptionally shrill warning, Ramos said he could withdraw support for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo if she accepts the plan contained in a report submitted by a committee she had tasked to propose changes in the Philippine Constitution.
“I hope that this monumental blunder being foisted on our suffering people and a beleaguered government, which is the Arroyo government, will be prevented or at least remedied by at least congressional action or (presidential) initiatives because (the president) has not really taken an initiative on this,” Ramos told ABS-CBN television.
Arroyo has asked Congress to approve the report by the 55-member Consultative Commission, whose ultimate aim is to scrap the US-style two-chamber Congress and president in favor of a one-chamber parliament under a federal republic, and allowing greater foreign involvement in the economy.
During the transition period, however, the commission proposed that the incumbent members of the Senate and House of Representatives become automatic members of an interim parliament until 2010.
During that interim period, Arroyo will not only stay on as president but also be given wider powers as head of state and head of government.
Ramos said he has no problem with the parliamentary system, pointing out that he had been advocating that as a solution to the country’s perennial political problems.
“But on the no elections, I consider that as a monumental blunder,” he said.
He warned that he may even turn his back on Arroyo if she followed though with the “no-el” plan.
“I can say that my support is waning right now,” he said.
It was Ramos’ intervention that saved Arroyo’s government from potential collapse in July at the height of the “Hello Garci” controversy, in which Arroyo was accused of stealing the presidency from the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. by engaging in massive cheating during last year’s election.
On the day 10 of her key officials resigned, former President Corazon Aquino went on television urging Arroyo to step down, followed by a withdrawal of support by a big faction of the Liberal Party, led by Senate President Franklin Drilon.
Arroyo was said to have been about to abandon Malacañang but Ramos and House Speaker Jose de Venecia stepped in and rallied support for her administration.
An impeachment move in the House of Representatives was subsequently defeated.
Displeasure
Observers say Ramos’ show of displeasure with Arroyo may have something to do with the perception that the president was also turning back on the commitment she had made to Ramos.
On that fateful day in Malacañang Palace, Ramos explained on television that he was supporting Arroyo’s continued stay as president but only until 2006. He pleaded that Arroyo be given a graceful exit and that she should spend the remaining months of her stay in office by setting into motion the full shift to a parliamentary system, with elections for prime minister and lawmakers to be held in May 2006.
In August, Ramos said Arroyo was willing to step down next year after early parliamentary elections, once both houses of Congress approved a change in the constitution.
Ramos yesterday said the proposed postponement of elections will downgrade the Philippine status as a democracy. The 2007 elections are anticipated by the people, he said.
“I’m not giving her a deadline or ultimatum, but the issues are so crucial that any further delay will bring us closer and closer to the brink of economic and political failure,” Ramos said.
The intervention by Ramos, 77, highlighted the informal power held by former presidents and elite families in a country renowned for its weak institutions and political parties.
Ramos’ critics say he aspires to return to power as prime minister — a charge he denies. Some political analysts say he merely wants to leave a legacy as an elder statesman similar to Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew.
A retired general who saw action as a platoon leader in the Korean War and a commander in the Vietnam War, he served as president from 1992-98 when the country had a rare taste of sustained growth until the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98.
Clarification
Malacañang Palace clarified that the recommendations of the commission were mere proposals and that it would be up to Congress to decide whether it would adopt them. “We rely on Congress to make prudent and judicious discernment on the issue of elections in 2007,” said presidential political adviser Gabriel Claudio.
Professor Jose Abueva, chairman of the commission, stressed that what they had recommended would undergo the scrutiny of lawmakers when they tackle amendments to the 1987 Charter. “We don’t have the final say,” he said. “Congress, which is made up of elected representatives, would be in (the) best position to determine whether they would adopt our recommendations.”
Both Claudio and Abueva noted the close voting of the members of the commission on the controversial provision on the 2007 polls. In the first voting, Abueva said 18 members were against the “no-el” scenario, while 16 were in favor.
Then in a motion for reconsideration, the voting was reversed to 22 as against 19, this time in favor of scrapping the elections.
The dissenters want Filipino voters to elect a panel to carry out the revisions, a plan that has been criticized as too expensive and time-consuming.
“The majority decision was for postponing the elections,” Abueva said.
Claudio said he expected lawmakers would assess not only the substance of the recommendation to scrap the 2007 election, “but also the circumstances, rationale, and bases behind them.”
“I’m sure they will take into account the propriety and public opinion factor and how a ‘no-el’ scenario will strengthen or weaken the chances of approval of
the substantive amendments, such as the adoption of a parliamentary system, by the people in a plebiscite,” he added. (With input from Inquirer News Service & Agencies)
