I said NO TO CON ASS

Very late post.



And here are the many other bloggers who stood their ground to say NO.

Con Ass

Not Now

Rally Is Out

As I am writing this post, hundreds of people flock to Makati for a protest action against charter change resulting from the passing of the resolution for Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) by the House of Representatives.


I personally believe, however, that the staging of such kind of protest does not anymore appeal for change.

Since the historic 1986 EDSA Revolution, anti-government forces have resorted to taking the fight in the streets in the hope that the administration leaders will step down from their post or heed to the protests of the masses.

Thus, we have witnessed EDSA 2, EDSA 3, rally against Charter Change (Cha-Cha), rally against Gloria and her 'I am Sorry' appeal, rally against Gloria over her NBN-ZTE deal anomaly, rally against Oil Price Hike, etc., etc.

But I see that we haven't gone too far than having the rally as an avenue for saying we are against the government. The rally has become an avenue for Political Leaders to show off and say they belong to the masses. It has become an avenue for some protesters to 'earn' 500 pesos for joining the rally. It has become a reason for traffic, work stoppage in some offices, and has made Ayala Avenue a large trash area for the protesters' flags, leaflets, paraphernalias, used water bottles, and food wrappers.

But the change we seek is still out of reach.

It maybe that the government has gone deaf in hearing the protesters' plea. It maybe that the middle class have not seen joining rallies as a worthy cause. It maybe that we haven't seen a genuine opposition leader who can spearhead the revolution against the government.

Could it be that staging rallies is not an effective catalyst for change anymore?

I believe it is about time that we, as a people who desire change to come in our country, should look for new and better strategies other than resorting to rallies that doesn't seem to create an impact anymore.

As we clamor for change, may we be able to find the ways and means to achieve it. Until then, there is none.

Awaiting For What Is To Come

I refer to my earlier post where I pointed out that the passing of House Resolution 1109 yesterday night, setting congress into a Constituent Assembly, came as a subtle surprise which crept under the radar of media and even the blogosphere.

And today, we can only let out our grievances out by posting articles in our blogs to condemn it.

I should like to re-state cocoy's article posted at FV, who I believe, shares the same sentiments as I do concerning this con-ass:

Dear Manila,

I write this still stunned. The power, the speed and the tenacity by which Philippine House Resolution 1109 transforming Congress into a Constituent Assembly was adopted, it was simply mind over matter. Your valiant and dedicated Congressmen fought sleep and sanity and reason. The Eighth Republic as you slept, Manila, was conceived and dedicated and they dream for it to endure. This even as other more important legislation were set aside like the Reproductive Health Bill and measure on Comprehensive Agrarian Reform.

While you slept, the media whose promise has always been to inform the Filipino people, failed you miserably save for coverage from ABS-CBN’s News Channel and a handful of others. It failed to be your eyes and ears at a moment you most needed it. It preferred to put sex tapes and gossip above the national interest. Perhaps they thought you wouldn’t be interested or wouldn’t care. Ratings after all are important.

Even as Mainstream Media stood idly by despite repeated calls from many of those online to COVER IT, our primary vector was Twitter. It has become a messaging service that kept the fires going. And our noise and our grievance and our indignation could only be expressed here on Cyberspace. @caffeinesparks was our eyes and ears at the Batasan. She watched and tweeted as Congress legalized insanity. Soon enough streams started coming online. There was even a point, sparks was about to be evicted from her place at the gallery.

HR1109 is by no means the End. It could be the beginning of the end. When you wake up, slow and inept the defense for the Seventh Republic may be but I hope the people will challenge the House’s stupidity in every forum. For all its worth: I urge every Filipino from every walk of life, from across the globe to rise to its defense! And our united opposition against this measure must not give any quarter. It must show every bit of tenacity that the Asses have displayed!


And now, we await for what is to come.


God bless the Philippines.

Behind The Limelight

Thanks to Hayden Kho and his solomonic affairssssss with 40 plus women, GMA's allies have, without limelight, successfully passed a resolution to set up a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) that would give Gloria Arroyo the opportunity to stay in power beyond 2010.

This scheming move happened as the whole nation is going gaga over the Hayden Kho scandals.

The approval of House Resolution No. 1109 empowered Congress to convene itself into a Con-ass in which members of the House and the Senate would vote jointly—not separately—to amend the 1987 Constitution.

As Bayan Muna party-list representative warns, “this means that under 1109, we are opening the entire Constitution to amendments .... This is where Malacañang’s agenda to keep President Arroyo in power will come in”.

mlq3, in his blog, states the possible scenarios available for President Arroyo, when the Con-Ass becomes successful:

1. The President can come out strongly for the parliamentary system in her State of the Nation address in July.

2. She can play coy, since the game is afoot and she can run for congresswoman, become Speaker, then Prime Minister after 2010 ( I have made a previous post about this one).

The congress is expected to convene its deliberations today.

Arroyo Goes To Congress

This is interesting.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to run for Congress in 2010?

But why go down to a lower position?

And why not?

Let's look at the scenario.

GMA's term will end in 2010, and while time is running out, and since election day is only months away, the move for Charter Change has always been prevailant. As columnist Tony Abaya points out, amending the constitution is the simplest and quickest way for Gloria to remain in power beyond 2010.

To stop the continuous clamor by the people for her to step down in 2010, GMA has time and again insisted that she will indeed step down from the palace come 2010. But political analysts are seeing a very peculiar view in the past month. Many have noticed that GMA has been frequently coming to her hometown in Lubao, Pampanga.

Inquirer.net has this report:

Ms Arroyo’s frequent trips to the province have fueled speculations that she plans to seek a congressional seat in her district in 2010.

There are talks in the local business and media circles that her plan is tied to a long-running proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution, mainly to pave the way for the shift from presidential to parliamentary form of government in which a representative can be voted as prime minister.

In other related news, Ellen Tordesillas reports that Mikey Arroyo sought the help of Pangasinan Congressman Joe De Venecia to gather additional support votes for the move to ammend the constitution in Congress.

Sources say that the Arroyos have offered the Speakership back to De Venecia if he is able to help gather the required number of votes.

Malacañang, has, however, denied the allegations.


In closing, I am reminded of a previous statement made by Gloria Arroyo herself in 2007:

"Who knows, I may run for Congress in my hometown."