Could this Cha-Cha be worst?

AS the conversation gets louder on proposed changing of the Philippine Constitution as a way to adopt Federalism as a new form of government, real issues, some disturbing ones,come to fore.  Retired Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr., calls the bold move “a lethal experiment, a fatal leap, a plunge to death, a leap to hell.”  That may sound an overstatement, but Davide raises valid arguments that call for more and deeper discussion, beyond the haphazard and careless threats of the Speaker of the House and the President.

            

A former party-list congressman, NeriColmenares said in a recent forum that “This is the worst cha-cha ever.  This is the only cha-cha with pork barrel enshrined in the Constitution.”  He also raised fears that charter change may lead to a much too powerful president, “It centralizes repressive powers in President Duterte.”

            

The Council of the Laity of the Philippines, which is the umbrella organization of major lay Catholic organizations in the country, thinks that the Duterte cha-cha is “a threat to our democratic system and our aspirations as a free and progressive nation.”  In a statement they further said, “We are disturbed that this exercise is being viewed by many as something that we cannot freely argue about anymore, because doing so will put the lives and well-being of those resisting this initiative, at risk…We are disturbed that instead of implementing the excellent provisions of the current Constitution, majority of our legislators appear to be in a hurry to supercede these, with an agenda that will disregard the hard-earned gains of the Filipino, such as social justice, human rights and democracy.”

            

The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP) called on their members and all concerned Filipinos to discern well in face of this impending political exercise because “reckless decisions will surely lead our nation into chaos and a bleak future.  In a recent statement, they said, “We are deeply bothered by the partisanship that has not taken over the reins of charter change and federalism.  A shameless proposal to extend terms of office has been inserted to the legislative draft at the lower house. Threats have been lured at local government units who will not toe the line. This does not augur well for a free and informed discussion on the issue at hand.”

The Catholic bishops of the Philippines during the plenary assembly held in Cebu in January 2018, did not categorically state their stand on charter change and federalism.  But one can easily infer that they too are disturbed.  Coming up with pastoral guidelines for discerning the moral dimension on the moves for Charter change is obviously not a simple lecture to a congregation on an ordinary Sunday.  It is a careful selection of fundamental moral principles that are at risk in the way this Charter change issue is unfolding. 

The building blocks that this Administration has constructed leading to the Charter Change is not very encouraging, nay impressive.  Some are suspicious, others are getting chilling signals.  Are we heading for the worse?