HEAVY TURNOUT REPORTED IN BARANGAY ASSEMBLIES
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - BARANGAY ASSEMBLY IN TONDO, MANILA . Chairman Jesus Fajardo exhorts
residents of Barangay 19, Zone 2, Zaragosa, Kagitingan Ext., Tondo, Manila to
get actively involved in the people’s initiative as the best mode to amend the
Constitution during the barangay assembly yesterday. Barangays nationwide held
their assemblies as mandated by law yesterday, the last Saturday of March, to
report to residents their accomplishments. (Regie Mason)]
MANILA, March 27, 2006 (BULLETIN) By ELENA L. ABEN - An unprecedented turnout in barangay assemblies across the country tackled urgent local and national concerns with a majority of the participants expressing full support for the clamor for Charter change, a progressive multisectoral coalition reported yesterday.
The Sigaw ng Bayan Movement, an umbrella organization of some 100 people’s organizations, non-government organizations and sectoral groups, said initial reports reaching its national secretariat showed that in many assemblies where Charter change was taken up, a majority expressed support for constitutional reforms through a "people’s initiative."
In Metro Manila, among the areas where consensus was reached on the urgency of constitutional reforms were the assemblies in the Quezon City barangays of Sauyo and Roxas District, and in BF Homes in Parañaque, said Sigaw ng Bayan spokesman Raul Lambino.
Lambino also denied claims that money was offered to those who took part in the barangay assemblies. He said that the coalition did not receive government funding and did not bribe people to attend the forums.
"If ever there were record numbers of participants, it was only because our people have come to realize that they have to take it upon themselves to initiate genuine reforms, instead of relying on Metro Manila-based political leaders who have failed to push Charter change because they have their own personal interests to protect," Lambino said.
Initial reports showed that an average of 100 to 200 people had attended each barangay assembly, a marked increase from previous forums that were attended by around 30 people only, he said.
Lambino said that the turnout was as high as 1,000 per barangay in some places. He cited barangays De La Paz, San Roque, San Isidro and Mayamot in Antipolo where the turnout ranged from 500 to 1,000 people.
The pro-Charter change Sigaw ng Bayan Movement said the partial figures were based on reports from local leaders to the secretariat in Quezon City as of noon of yesterday.
"The record attendance in these barangay assemblies, where an overwhelming majority of the participants had expressed their support for constitutional reforms, is the most telling mark that most of our people are fed up with all the political strife and executive-legislative gridlock induced by our flawed political and economic systems and now believe that the only way to correct these systemic defects is through Charter change," said Lambino.
Meantime, Efren de Luna, national president of the transport group PCDOACTO, reported that in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, over 1,000 residents who attended the barangay assembly were "initially hostile" to Charter change but were later convinced following the explanation by Sigaw ng Bayan members on what the issue was about, how they can benefit from the move to amend the Constitution and how they themselves can propose amendments via a People’s Initiative.
In Barangay Pajo, also in Caloocan, some 350 residents who attended the barangay assembly expressed interest in the issue of Charter change.
Some 960 participants turned up at Barangay Tonsoya and 840 in Barangay Tanyong in Malabon, where the issue of Charter change was taken up during the barangay assembly. Majority of the participants were interested in the issue of constitutional reforms, according to Alberto Ong, chairman of the Alliance for Peace and Development.
But in Barangay Tenejero in the same town, Ong said that the 83 participants who showed up at the barangay assembly did not support the People’s Initiative campaign.
"This is genuine democracy in action," Lambino said. "Taking the urgent issue of constitutional reforms to the grassroots have given our people the first ever opportunity to openly express their views on such an important concern, whether it be for or against Charter change."
"That there are certain places where participants said they were not supporting Charter change is the best proof that there was no systematic effort to rig these barangay assemblies, as had been claimed by some quarters," Lambino said.
A professor of constitutional law at the University of the East, Lambino said Section 397 of the Local Government Code of 1991 mandates all local government units to hold their respective barangay assemblies at least twice a year.
Aumentado: Inform people on Charter amendments
Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado yesterday said the people need to be informed about the issues surrounding the clamor for a change to a parliamentary and unicameral form of government.
"Although in the end it is up to the people to decide, they must be provided with information so that they will come up with an informed decision," Aumentado said during his weekly program The Governor Reports aired live over all radio stations in Bohol.
This was also Aumentado’s message during a forum Wednesday morning at the University of Bohol (UB) Research and Information Center organized by university president and former Gov. David Tirol, with former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva as resource speaker.
It was also his line during the Cuentas Claras program yesterday morning at dyTR as urged the citizenry to go to their respective barangay halls to attend the synchronized barangay assemblies nationwide.
"Today is historic, because the barangays will take up charter change; the people will decide if they will endorse the clamor of the Sigaw ng Bayan, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines and other labor unions, people’s organizations and others, through a people’s initiative," Aumentado yesterday said.
"This is the advocacy of the governors and Ulap: support chacha by organizing public discussion for the people to come up with the correct decision," he said. Aumentado heads the 79-strong League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) and the 1.7million-strong Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap).
The governor said he used to be silent on the issue until the opposition, the rightists and the leftists joined hands in destabilizing the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo by staging rallies in imperial Metro Manila.
"Since after President Marcos of Ilocandia was replaced by President Aquino, there has been a series of people power. This is because the 1987 Constitution allowed the multi-party system that resulted into the winning president’s getting only a plurality – not the majority of votes," Aumentado observed.
The multi-party system virtually paved the way for the high cost of campaigning because a candidate has to contend with more opponents.
"To be a credible candidate for president, one needs some P2 billion to bankroll the campaign. I know a former senator who spent P300 million just to get his seat back but he lost anyway," he said.
"When I ran for board member who were elected at large yet in the 1967 elections, I spent only P5,000. I spent only P12,500 for my reelection bid. But when I first ran for governor under the multi-party system, I grew bald because of the cost," Aumentado said in jest – in the dialect.
Just imagine the cost for the national candidates who have to contend with contenders from the partylist, he added.
The senators may be against a parliamentary unicameral form of government because the Upper House stands to be dissolved – along with the supposed check and balance.
"The fear is not theirs alone; the Lower House will also be dissolved. With only one House – we will do away with gridlocks. Besides, the senators whose mandate is supposed to be policy- or lawmaking now use up their time conducting investigations, making them ineffective," Aumentado said.
Because of the many candidates, even an actor gets elected because of his popularity.
"Take the case of Sen. Agimat [Ramon Revilla, Pinoy filmdom’s superhero]. I worked hard to push for the conversion of several provincial roads into national roads. But when he was to sponsor the equivalent bill in the Senate, he was a no-show," Aumentado lamented.
In the unicameral form, the executive and legislative departments are fused hence it is easier to implement laws – unlike before when there had to be tradeoffs in the form of pork barrel funds.
"Believe me, because I was in Congress for nine years," he said.
The parliamentary form of government also does away with coups, rallies and marches. All the parliament needs to do is give the prime minister a vote of no confidence. The prime minister steps down, and parliament votes in a replacement.
"I will go to Ubay after this to attend the assembly in my barangay. This way I shall have effectively carried out my task of information dissemination. I even issued a memorandum circular to all mayors, punong barangays, provincial department heads and chiefs of offices as well as heads of national offices to help in the information drive on the charter change," he said.