Manila Today
On May 22, various groups held a picket protest in front of the Senate headquarters in Pasay City to oppose the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6 which seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution. RBH 6 is the Senate version of the approved RBH 7 in Congress aiming to push for a constitutional assembly.
“Term extension ang chacha nila,” [Term extension is the intent of their chacha] Former senator and Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares emphasized, saying that the proposed charter change (chacha) is the most dangerous agenda in the current situation of Philippine politics.
What must be the govt top priority?
Colmenares laid out three main points that the government must address instead of railroading chacha. These are to solve the issue of contractualization, give land to the farmers and imprison all corrupt officials in the government.
He further argued that the railroading of RBH 7 only said so much for the “self-serving interest” of the Marcos Jr. administration in a bid to push for amendment in several economic provisions.
“Nagkaroon na ng People’s Initiative noong January at ngayon suspendido ito ng COMELEC pero anytime ay pwedeng buhayin iyan. Noong Abril, ipinasa nila ang bill para sa con-ass. Ngayon, RBH 6 ay pending sa Senado. Anytime pwedeng aprubahan iyan. Ito ang pinakamapanganib na chacha sa kasaysayan” Colmenares said.
[People’s Initiative was already initiated back in January, while it’s suspended by COMELEC but it could be revived anytime. In April, they passed the bill for con-ass. Right now, RBH 6 is pending in the Senate. It could be approved anytime. This is the most dangerous cha-cha in history]
Thinktank IBON Foundation, however, said that the proposed or even the term “economic chacha” is deemed only as a trojan horse or a deceptive strategy to impose term extension among political clans especially cronies of the Marcos Jr administration.
“The real intent is to change the political provisions through a constituent assembly, through the so-called fourth mode or Bernas formula) of simulating ordinary lawmaking, or through whatever other legalistic scheme they can think up,” said IBON.
According to their study, the country is already among the most open economies to foreign investment due to prevailing laws pushed by the government. What is really stopping the Philippines from development is its small domestic market due to chronic poverty, poor infrastructure, corruption and others that are completely unrelated to the Constitution’s restrictiveness, it added.
“The government must step up and take a more active role in supporting Filipino firms to industrialize the country on a foundation of broad-based rural development.Foreign investment that can be regulated to contribute to this should be welcome, not foreign investment just after its own profits,” said IBON.
Conduct forums, discussions
As a lead convener for the No to Chacha Network, Colmenares urged Filipinos to support the network’s campaign to oppose the railroading of chacha.
“Sa mga eskwelahan, pagawaan, komunidad at simbahan, magkaroon tayo ng forum para ipaliwanag kung gaano ipaliwanag itong chacha. Sumama tayo sa mga kampanya sa social media para ipaliwanag ang panganib ng chacha. Ituloy natin ang laban at ang pagtaas ng kamulatan ng mamamayan kung ano ang chacha,” Colmenares said.
[Let us conduct forums in schools, workplaces, communities, and churches to explain how dangerous this cha-cha is. Let’s join social media campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of cha-cha. Let’s continue the fight and increase public awareness about what cha-cha entails]
In Metro Manila, various anti-chacha groups and networks have been established especially in areas where chacha petitions were circulated and packaged as government financial aid.
In Quezon City, the QC March or Movement Against Reprehensible Charter Change was reestablished and held in several communities to hold discussions regarding the effects of charter change in many sectors, especially in urban poor.
Meanwhile, in Pasay City, the Pasayeño Movement Against Chacha or Matcha was also established which comprised advocates from youth, transport, environment and church sector.
Colmenares further urged in conducting more anti-ChaCha mass actions or mobilizations, likening them to the Filipino movement that ousted the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“Ang konstitusyon, ang ating kahirapan, ang ating pinagdurusang kahirapan ngayon ay hindi dahil sa konstitusyon. Ang korapsyon at kahirapan ay hindi nagmula sa konstitusyon kung kaya ang pag-amyenda rito ay hindi solusyon. Lumaban ang nanalo tayo laban sa chacha noon, lalaban at mananalo tayo sa chacha ngayon,” he added.
[The constitution, the poverty and the hardships we face today are not because of the constitution. Corruption and poverty did not originate from the constitution, which is why amending is not the solution. We fought and won against cha-cha before, and we will fight and win against cha-cha now]
