Military Rebels Say No to Cha-cha

Published on April 29, 2006

BY DABET CASTAÑEDA
Bulatlat.com

Military rebels are “silently observing” the people’s reaction to the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s charter change maneuvers. “If the people will strongly react against it, there might be another attempt of military intervention to solve the current political impasse,” a retired military officer who has close ties with the military rebels said.

The source added that the military rebels believe the present administration is just using charter change to ensure its survival. “The Constitution is too sacred to be treated that way,” the military source said.

In particular, military rebels are against amending the provisions on impeachment; the removal of safeguards and checks regarding the declaration of Martial Law; rescinding provisions protecting national patrimony; and granting Macapagal-Arroyo more powers and ensuring that she can hold on to power until 2010.

In a statement Jan. 17, the lawyers’ group Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL) said that among the proposed changes in the 1987 Constitution are guarantees that Macapagal-Arroyo remains in power until 2010 and grants her the powers of both president and prime minister.

It also proposes to remove safety mechanisms that will check the executive’s powers to declare martial law or suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. The proposed economic provisions go beyond the mere ‘easing of restrictions on foreign investments” as it grants aliens the right to own lands and exploit the natural resources of country, both rights previously reserved to Filipinos under the 1987 Constitution. Worse, it opens to foreign ownership all types of businesses including the operation of public utilities.

The source said it is not right to give up national patrimony in order to gain some economic advantages because in the long term, “this means giving up much of the benefits that should go to our own people.”

“If we run this country the right way, we don’t have to look for short term benefits,” the source added.

The source said the mismanagement of local resources makes the country economically weak. “If local resources are not wasted through corruption, local capital should be enough for our people,” the source said.

Distrust

Although seeing the need to institute drastic changes in the constitution, the source said military rebels no longer trust traditional politicians to oversee the process.

“Traditional politicians will not allow provisions in the constitution that work in their favor to be touched,” the source said.

If this is the case, the source said the country would not have a constitution that is for the people. “We will have a constitution that people will not respect because it does not reflect their real sentiments,” the source added.

The source said the military rebels still believe that the most acceptable political set-up is the formation of a Transition Council, a respectable body to oversee changes in the charter and eventually call for an election.

Restiveness

The military rebels’ stand against the Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s charter change initiatives came after the controversial Mayuga Report was made public. The report is the result of a nine-month fact-finding investigation headed by Navy chief Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga that looked into allegations that military officers and soldiers were involved in electoral fraud during the 2004 elections.

The report cleared four top military officers and some 300 officers and soldiers deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as members of Board of Election Inspectors.

The four generals include Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, retired Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko and retired Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani.

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