The recent flip flop of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on pushing for charter change, first agitating for it, then calling it off just before the anti-charter change rally last Sunday in Manila, and then calling for it again on Tuesday, should have left no one surprised except perhaps for a Filipino who has been out of the country for the past two years and completely cut off from all news.
That President Arroyo is a master flip-flopper is old news. Remember when she swore she wouldn’t run for re-election and a few months later broke her own promise? She’s like President Charles Logan in the fifth season of the hit TV show “24”, who one minute is about to shoot himself in the head for allowing former President David Palmer be assassinated and then suddenly changes his mind when he gets a phone call telling him that evidence that would have implicated him in several murders is no longer in the possession of federal agent Jack Bauer.
The bottom line is that Arroyo is an opportunist of the worst political kind, constantly testing public opinion, pushing forward with her selfish agenda when there is no outcry and pulling back when faced with stiff opposition. I say selfish because from what I have read it seems that charter change is being pushed by Arroyo and master politician House Speaker Jose de Venecia because it will consolidate their power and extend the office terms of congressmen. Thank goodness the opposition dominated Senate has managed to keep the House of Representatives from forming a Constituent Assembly, despite part of the House’s best efforts to try and freeze the Senate out of any decision on amending the Constitution.
The Catholic Church has now stepped in and said that it won’t allow for charter change to be rammed through without consulting the people first, and in the right manner. This, I am convinced, is what gave President Arroyo and her allies pause in pushing for the change to a parliamentary system. They know well the power of the Church in rallying people power, and are not foolish enough to go against it head to head.
For a while during the past few months the buzz in political circles was that Arroyo would cancel the May 2007 elections and push for charter change, leaving current congressmen in place for at least an extra year as members of a new parliament. The president’s political adviser Gabriel Claudio thankfully belied these rumors on Wednesday when he told the Inquirer that the elections would push through in 2007.
House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles admitted that the administration was sending out mixed signals on charter change, that was confusing everyone. Arthur Defensor, deputy majority floor leader, was even clearer on this by saying there would be no charter change before the elections because there was not enough time to do it in the proper manner.
Arroyo and her allies claim that a change to a parliamentary system would immediately translate into better governance and a more responsive government that would help deliver better economic performance.
I am not convinced of this, and the president has failed to present compelling arguments and facts to back up her assertions. What it seems like to many people is that charter change would just consolidate political power even more and effectively freeze out any significant opposition to the administration.
With Arroyo’s dictatorial tendencies well documented, I really think that a bicameral system of governance, like the one currently in place with a House of Representatives and a Senate, is necessary in order to check and balance the actions of the executive and judicial branches of the government. Having what would be in effect a one-party government is not in the interest of the Filipino people.
Support for Daniel Smith
I was glad to see the other day on ABS-CBN that that there are Filipino supporters of US Marine Daniel Smith, who is currently being held in Makati City Jail after being found guilty and convicted of the rape of a Filipino woman, Suzette Nicolas (dubbed “Nicole” by the court).
The Bandila news program showed supporters of Smith holding a candlelight vigil outside the jail, calling for him to be released. They believe him to be innocent, claiming that Suzette invented the rape charge to seek revenge on him after she allegedly had sex with him voluntarily.
One of the supporters interviewed was M. S. Grace Santos, who had earlier emailed me to tell me about her support of Smith.
“I don’t believe her (Nicole) and never will believe her,” wrote Santos in her email. “Nicole said she had a BF, but how is she with another guy in Subic Bay and then went with Smith? ... Let us not judge Daniel Smith because the judge handed him a guilty verdict. There are a lot of people who are in jail but they are innocent. He was convicted because he is a US Marine and is an American.”
Santos also told me that she had visited Smith in jail, brought him food and was starting a fund drive in order to pay for Smith’s parents to fly out and visit him.
The family of Smith issued the following statement: “This past year has been difficult for our entire family. We have kept in close contact with the US State Department and appreciate the efforts of the US Embassy officials to work on our son’s behalf, including their attempts to secure custody of our son while he seeks an appeal of the verdict. Our son has presented his side of the story in court and we are anxiously waiting for word on his appeal efforts. To our son, we’d like to say we love you very much and you are constantly in our prayers.”
The US Embassy is wrangling with Philippine courts over who can retain custody of Smith as he appeals his conviction. The Department of Foreign Affairs have already petitioned the Court of Appeals to allow the US Embassy to take Smith into custody at the embassy, as this is what the Visiting Forces Agreement says the US is allowed to do.
I think the embassy will eventually get custody of Smith, since an international treaty signed by the Philippines undoubtedly takes precedence over customary Philippine law. In the meantime, it looks like Smith will be spending Christmas and New Year in the Makati City Jail.
