Con-con by May 2010 'mission impossible,' analysts say

Charter change through a constitutional convention (con-con) is doomed to fail as the House of Representatives does not have the support of key political institutions already busy gearing up for the 2010 national elections. Political analysts made the assessment Thursday, two days after the House committee on constitutional amendments adopted a draft resolution calling for a con-con that would change the 1987 Constitution. The resolution, which will only be taken up in plenary once the committee finishes and approves the implementing guidelines on September 8, proposes that con-con delegates be elected simultaneously with national and local officials on May 2010. “Tingin ko mission impossible na yun. Unang-una di ko alam kung meron pa silang quorum na makukuha para i-discuss sa plenary (I think that’s already an impossible mission. First of all, I don’t know whether they can still muster a quorum to discuss the proposal in plenary)," Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute on Political and Electoral Reform, told GMANews.TV over the phone. Joel Rocamora, executive director of the Institute for Popular Democracy, said the same thing. “I think it’s mission impossible," he told GMANews.TV in a separate phone interview. “Hindi ‘yan lalagpas sa plenary dahil mahihirapan silang magka-quorum, at ang minority ayaw nila yung con-con dahil takot sila na kasama ‘yan sa mga plano ni (President)Gloria (Macapagal Arroyo)," Rocamora said. (That won’t be passed in plenary because they’re having difficulties mustering a quorum, and the minority members are against con-con because they’re afraid it’s part of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s plan.) “So kung walang quorum (So if there’s no quorum), all that needs to be done is for somebody in the minority to ask for a roll call," he added. The House has earlier drawn flak because of its recent inability to muster a quorum due to lawmakers’ absences. Difficulty in Senate, Comelec Casiple said it would also be difficult to come up with the required two-thirds vote of all Congress members to call for a con-con, as he pointed out that the Senate has earlier shown aversion toward changing the Charter during this 14th Congress. Rocamora said, “Kung lulusot sa House, tingin ko haharangin ‘yan sa Senado (If it passes through the House, I think it will be blocked in the Senate)." “Kung lulusot sa Senado, haharangin ng Comelec. Sinabi na ng Comelec na wala ng time para isingit yung con-con (If it can pass through the Senate, the Comelec will go against it. The Comelec has already said there is no more time to insert con-con)," said Rocamora. “It will complicate things even further." Comelec commissioner Elias Yusoph had earlier told the House committee on constitutional amendments that holding the election of con-con delegates simultaneously with the May 2010 elections will pose several problems, such as inadequate spaces for names on ballots and possible confusion among voters. An exercise in futility? Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño said in a news conference Thursday that the House should not waste its time trying to push for Charter change before the May 2010 elections. There are still so many pending priority legislations in the House, as well as deliberations on the proposed 2010 national budget which must be finished as soon as possible, the militant lawmaker pointed out. "Given all these priorities that we should do, tingin namin yung con-con should be relegated to the background (We think con-con should be relegated to the background)," he said. Casiño added that for the minority bloc, “The issue of Cha-cha should be discussed, deliberated on, and decided on after the 2010 elections." Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, vice chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, admitted that pushing for con-con before May 2010 would be a tough battle. "Sa totoo lang medyo mahigpit (Honestly, we're pressed for time)," he said during the same news forum. Aggabao said, however, that the committee’s deliberations are still ongoing. One option is to hold the election of con-con delegates at the same time as the barangay elections in the later months of 2010, probably in October, he said. - GMANews.TV