Akbayan to Arroyo: Admonish Mikey, others for Con Ass plans

MANILA, Philippines - A party-list lawmaker on Friday challenged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to publicly admonish her son and other pro-Charter change congressmen for fueling fears that the current administration plans to stay beyond 2010. In a press statement, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros said that a public chastisement would be an indication of Malacañang's sincerity when it says that Mrs Arroyo does not plan to stay in power beyond 2010. "(Mrs Arroyo) should do this if she is truly serious about stepping down in 2010," she said in a press statement. The remark came a day after it was learned that a resolution filed by Kampi President and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte has been signed by around 150 congressmen, including presidential son and Pampanga Rep, Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo. The resolution seeks to convene Congress into a constituent assembly without proposing specific amendments. House Speaker Prospero Nograles himself has his own House Resolution No 737, which seeks to amend provisions on foreign investments. It has been backed by at least 163 supporters in the House. On Friday, Hontiveros called the new plan to convene a constituent assembly as "an infernal conspiracy to undermine our democracy." "Even if term extension is not included in the new resolution to convene a Constituent Assembly, it is obviously in the bag. There is no limit to what a Constituent Assembly could do," she explained. She accused the administration of staging a scenario that is perfect for Cha-cha. "Whoever instigated the Senate coup, the fact is that the current Senate President is pro-administration and pro Cha cha. In the House, despite his denial, Rep. Mikey Arroyo is obviously leading the signature campaign for a unilateral Con Ass resolution,"Hontiveros said. 'Perfect constitutional storm' In the same statement, Hontiveros warned against a "perfect political storm" obviously meant to favor the move to amend the Constitution and extend the terms of office of those in power. "Before 2010, majority of Supreme Court justices would be GMA appointees. A perfect constitutional storm is brewing, and Malacañang is in the middle of it," she said. She said that Mrs Arroyo is in the position to stop these plans. "She is seen as the leader of the parties involved in the initiative. All she has to do is make a strong public pronouncement against these efforts and tell her son and her allies in Congress to stop this new bid," said Hontiveros. She also dared Mrs Arroyo to appoint SC justices who have untarnished reputation and whose integrity and credibility are beyond doubt. The solon vowed that the House minority will oppose the moves to convene a Constituent Assembly and amend the constitution unilaterally. "This won't fly. For one, it is constitutionally infirm. The House and the Senate vote separately on bills changing the names of streets, so common sense dictates that we need to vote separately on matters as important as changing the highest law of the land," she said. "We have to stop this madness once and for all. Claims that there is a clamor for term extension and cha-cha are delusional," she said. "For one, why would the public want the term of the most unpopular of all administrations extended? There may be clamor from those who will benefit from the extension, but certainly not from the people." She also said that the relaxation of economic provisions in the Constitution should not be made an excuse. "The current economic crisis was sparked by the lack of, and not because of, economic regulation. The rest of the world is working to institute greater regulation to rein in corporate greed, so why is the administration so eager to do the opposite?" asked Hontiveros. - PR/GMANews.TV