Groups rally vs. Cha-cha ahead of resumption of Congress session

Various groups on Monday gathered at the South Gate of the Batasang Pambansa Complex, the home of the House of Representatives, in Quezon City to protest moves to amend the Constitution.

ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro, who was at the gathering, warned that all provisions of the Constitution may be amended and not just economic provisions like what Charter change (Cha-cha) proponents are saying.

"Pag ito ay binuksan, ang Cha-cha o charter change, natitiyak po ba natin na talagang economic provision lang? Ito ay hindi," Castro said.

"Napakadelikado na magkaroon ng Charter change sa panahong ito dahil nakikita natin 'yung nga iba't ibang interes ng mga pulitiko at mga nasa puwesto," she added.

(When the Constitution is opened for amendments, are we sure that only the economic provisions will be tweaked? I don't think so. Charter change is dangerous now because we can see the interest of politicians and those who are in power.)

Bayan secretary general Mong Palatino said they will intensify actions in communities to explain the dangers of Cha-cha.

The groups called on government officials to drop Charter change and focus instead on solving problems on low wages, lack of support for the agricultural sector, the PUV Modernization Program, and other similar problems.

The protest action was timed to coincide with the resumption of Congress session on Monday afternoon. 

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio over the weekend warned that pursuing Charter change through the ongoing people's initiative (PI) could lead to a constitutional crisis.

Carpio expressed belief that the current people's initiative undermines the system of checks and balances.

"Because if you remove the Senate, you disregard the check and balance in the present Constitution, and that's a crisis, a constitutional crisis. Why did you set aside the Senate? You disregarded it when there is supposed to be a check and balance," he said. —KBK, GMA Integrated News