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Friday, March 29, 2024

Opposition pooh-poohs ‘no-el’ scenario in 2019

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Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday voiced concern over the statement of retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura that lawmakers may “suggest” the postponement of 2019 midterm elections to give way to the plebiscite seeking to approve the proposed federal charter being pushed by the Duterte administration.

While fears of a no-election scenario is nothing new, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said such “only shows desperation for Charter Change advocates.”

“Term extension and no-elections are always used as caveats in any move for charter change. These are the twin evils of seeking power beyond what is allowed under the Constitution,” Villarin said.

Villarin said Charter Change advocate should not push their luck to rewrite the 1987 Constitution as surveys have shown that two-thirds of Filipinos reject the proposed Cha-Cha.

“…With inflation, unemployment, and lack of livelihoods being our people’s priority concerns, Charter change should be thrown in the garbage bin,” Villarin said.

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Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, meanwhile, dismissed as “self-serving and immoral” any proposal to call off the May 2019 elections.

“The [Consultative Committee] must come up first with a draft and defend it in Congress. It’s overly assuming of the commission to think that their proposal will be acceptable to both houses of Congress and to the people if it will be put into a plebiscite,” Erice said.

Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano also thumbed down the proposed Charter Change to effect federalism.

“Threat, intimidation, rewards employed by proponents to gather support to the shift are clear manifestations that there are hidden agenda behind it,” Alejano said.

In a television interview, Nachura, a member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Consultative Committee, the plebiscite will be held by February next year if Congress approves the ConCom’s proposal by the yearend.

“Some of them are inclined to suggest that [postponement of elections]. I think it’s not a very unreasonable demand when you consider the difficulties,” he said.

The ConCom said it intends to submit its recommendations to the President before his State of the Nation Address on July 23.

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