A day after Easter, cause oriented groups will be holding a protest action tomorrow at the House of Representatives as Congress resumes its session. The protest is triggered by fresh moves to push for Charter change in the Lower House.A resolution signed by some 185 solons has been reportedly submitted to House Speaker Prospero Nograles and will be referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments by tomorrow. A hearing on the resolution is already scheduled on Tuesday afternoon.
The resolution authored by Camarines Sur representative Luis Villafuerte is pushing for Charter change by convening Congress into a Constituent Assembly.
“Arroyo’s allies in Congress are holding their own Easter egg hunt for that elusive Charter change formula. But this is not a harmless game. The persistent moves to change the Charter has far-reaching repercussions. There is again a sense of urgency to stop this latest move,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“Despite Palace pronouncements that it favors the holding of elections in 2010, the scenarios for either postponing elections or having Arroyo stay in power are very much alive. The Cha-cha resolution, if passed by the Lower House, can still lead to a battle in the Supreme Court,” Reyes said
Bayan will be marching from the corner of Batasan Road and Commonwealth Avenue going to the gates of the Batasang Pambansa.
On Tuesday, another protest action is set as other anti-Cha cha groups are expected to join a planned motorcade from St. Peter’s church to Batasan.
“We can never be complacent until all the Arroyo-initiated Charter change resolutions are withdrawn. The fact that the proponents of Cha-cha want to bring the matter to the Supreme Court tells us Arroyo’s allies are still planning to maneuver before and even after the 2010 elections,” Reyes said. ###
