IMAGINE the likes of Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao and Miss International Lara Quigaman joining other sports luminaries and movie and TV stars in rooting for constitutional reform?
“But first things first,” said Mayor Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa City. Are Pacquiao and other pop icons for Charter change? Is political change among their concerns?
This is “worth exploring,” said Hagedorn, chair of the 117-member League of Cities of the Philippines.
But celebrities and noncelebrities alike are “welcome to take part in this nationwide endeavor called ‘a people’s initiative.”‘
“Every person counts and has a responsible role to play in this worthy cause,” said Hagedorn, a staunch ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The LCP has joined other groups, like the 79-member League of Provinces of the Philippines and the 1,500-strong League of Municipalities of the Philippines, in advocating for Charter change.
Hagedorn vowed to “do my part in pushing for the people’s initiative and hopefully put the parliamentary system in place, which at this point in the nation’s history makes perfect sense.”
5M signatures needed
Supporters of the people’s initiative, an offshoot of the 1986 People Power revolution, are required to gather at least five million signatures or 12 percent of the total number of registered voters nationwide to do away with next year’s elections and turn Congress into a parliament after a plebiscite.
The 1.7-million-strong Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), the umbrella organization of local government officials, is spearheading moves to amend the 1987 Constitution.
“Everybody’s welcome. As much as possible, all sectors of society should be represented in this new front of popular participation,” said Hagedorn, who also runs the government’s campaign against “jueteng” — an illegal numbers game.
Hagedorn noted that “by empowering the people, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.”
In an interview, Hagedorn stressed “it is the Filipino people through the so-called ‘people’s initiative’ who should decide on constitutional reform, instead of a chosen few from the corridors of power.”
Dangerous times
“We’re living in dangerous times. At no time is the political atmosphere more volatile and hostile than it is now. And it has certainly been affecting the economy. The times call for some drastic, if not emergency, measures,” warned Hagedorn.
Amid all the tension, he said, is the “clamor for Charter change.”
“Constitutional reform is long overdue. The nation should decide on Charter change now,” Hagedorn emphasized.
Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone, also the ULAP spokesperson, earlier told media that local government units through the umbrella group would start gathering signatures for the Charter change initiative.
Evardone said an overwhelming majority of LGUs favored the recommendations by the Consultative Commission, including canceling the 2007 elections to pave the way for the adoption of the parliamentary system in 2010.
SWS survey
Last month, a Social Weather Stations poll showed that Filipinos were now “neutral” on the proposed shift to the parliamentary system after showing reluctance in the past.
The survey, conducted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4 last year covering 1,200 respondents nationwide, revealed that 32 percent of Filipinos approved of having the head of government elected by parliamentarians while 32 percent disapproved and 30 percent were undecided.
In a statement, SWS said the split-opinion result was a “marked change from many previous SWS polls which showed a great reluctance of Filipino voters to give up the tradition of voting directly for the President.”
