Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Gloria Arroyo is crudely and secretly ramming through a legal bid to stay in power forever

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Arroyo could even succeed Duterte to the presidency under this version

By Raïssa Robles

Can it get more thick-faced and ham-fisted than this?

Thanks to the alertness of ABS-CBN reporter RG Cruz, we now know that House Speaker and former President Gloria Arroyo has authored a House Resolution to scrap the 1987 Constitution and replace it with her own version of a federal government.

She never ever announced this before. Nor can her resolution be found online. RG Cruz only found out about it AFTER the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments approved it WITHOUT AMENDMENTS.

One of its provisions? The removal of term limits for all lawmakers.

UPDATE:

Arroyo’s draft specifically skips Vice-President Leni Robredo as the successor to the presidency in case anything should happen to President Rodrigo Duterte. Instead, according to a GMAnetwork report, the Senate President will become the “acting President”.

The proposed provision favors Arroyo. It states:

“In case a vacancy arises by reason of removal, resignation, permanent incapacity or death of the incumbent President, the incumbent Senate President shall act as President until a President shall have been chosen and qualified.”

The section states that the Senate President will only be in that post “until a President shall have been chosen”. This does not say that an election will be held. It merely says the next President will be chosen. Since there is no ban on former presidents being chosen, then Arroyo could well maneuver to be chosen.

The section can be found on page 44, lines 24 to 26 of the draft that the House Committee on Amendments approved without any changes. Thanks, Mario Abcede, for reminding me that drafts and laws are numbered so people can easily find the text being referred to.

SECOND UPDATE: 

I wish to make it of record that I did not talk to RG Cruz for this analysis. I merely based it on what he reported on ABS-CBNNews.com, supplemented by what GMANetwork reported. In fact, I have never talked to RG Cruz in my entire life. Nor him with me.

I also wish to make a correction that Arroyo’s original filing – Resolution of Both Houses No. 15 – is not online. It is online. And you can download  or read it by clicking on this link. However, Arroyo did not publicize it through an official press release.

I also stand by what I said that there was no public hearing on this particular Resolution before it was adopted by the House Committee in its entirety. You can download or read online what the Committee approved by clicking on this link.

The 1987 Constitution restricts congressmen to three successive terms of three years each. After which they have to sit out a term before they can run again for Congress. Senators are restricted to two successive terms of six years each.

Arroyo’s proposal would effectively allow her, and all lawmakers, whose terms expire next year, to run. She could also run again for the presidency.

That is a vulgar use of law-making powers. For Arroyo to legislate something that will benefit her directly.

The House Resolution was quickly endorsed – without PUBLIC HEARING, without DEBATE – to the House plenary for second reading. This means, it can be passed viva voce or by verbal voting without counting the votes. And likely passed on third reading by a simple majority vote.

This means, the House can quickly pass it and endorse it to the Senate for approval.

We don’t know if the Senate will be willing to cha-cha with her. The Senate President, Vicente Sotto, is her ex-running mate. They had a falling out but they patched up.

Arroyo’s proposal will reduce the present 24-member chamber to only 15. And senators will no longer run nationwide but regionally. The current number of 24 senators will be retained but they will have no term limits.

The country will be divided into five regions—Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, Bangsamoro and Metro Manila (conveniently forgetting that another region, the Cordilleras, was also granted autonomy).

I tried looking for Arroyo’s House Resolution on the Congress website and I could not find it. Neither did the Office of the Speaker or she ever announce to the public that she had filed it. Which makes me conclude that this is a sneak attack on the present 1987 Constitution that all congressmen had sworn to uphold when they took their oath of office.

Another objectionable provision requires a college degree for everyone who wants to run for Congress and for the post of President and Vice-President.

Why is that objectionable, you might ask? You might even point to Joseph Estrada as an example of a college dropout who won the presidency and flubbed it.

Because if you look at the profile of our congressmen and presidents, most of them have college degrees. And their having college degrees have not translated to a dramatic reduction in nationwide poverty.

In fact, most congressmen have selfishly legislated only for the interests of their families and political clans and allies. A college degree is not the only criterion. Requiring this would shut out the vast majority of Filipinos who don’t have degrees simply because they are poor. Or because they did not finish college.

The lack of degree is not the problem. Our problem is the lack of candidates who don’t run for office thinking only of themselves and what they can steal from public office.

That is the sad truth about our democracy.

As for Estrada, don’t blame the poor for voting him into office. Blame his political backers for putting him up as candidate. And that includes the late Senator Edgardo Angara who slid down to be Estrada’s vice-presidential running mate, and gave him a sheen of legitimacy akin to an honorary degree. Imagine, the former president of the country’s premier state university backing the presidential run of a college drop-out. That was what was running through my head while I was then covering Angara’s news conference announcing his slide to VP.

Which brings me back to why we should have term limits.

When we had no term limits—and that was before the 1972 Martial Law—the same names kept occupying seats in Congress. I have the proof. Ask me and I will post it online.

After the 1987 Constitution legislated term limits, it still didn’t work the way it was supposed to. Term limits were supposed to expand the bench of participation in governing by encouraging more and more people from all walks of life to run for office.

But what actually happened? Politicians found a sneaky way out of term limits. They did this by NOT LEGISLATING the necessary LAW BANNING POLITICAL DYNASTIES. To this day.

So, because we have term limits but no ban on political dynasties, politicians simply passed on their posts to family members. Political families dribbled the political power among themselves.

Sometimes, when I am interviewing a mayor or governor who heads a political clan and I would ask how many members are also in office, and I find out that the brothers and sisters and mother occupy most of the seats in the legislative council, the thought comes unbidden into my mind – why, they need not even hold meetings in city hall. They could do it all in their dining room and the decisions would be legal.

This abysmal situation, in turn, has affected the growth of political parties. Why would you join a political party if your father could guarantee you a seat in Congress or the mayor’s post? When your clan is one giant political party?

It’s clear that detention did not dull the cunning of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Just as she turned her administration into a lame duck government because of her alleged election cheating, now she still shows the same grasping desire to cement herself into office.

Yes, she did say she would take time out next year to write her memoir. But she also said on December 2002 that she would not run for president in 2004. She took back her word in October 2003.

If Arroyo and her allies really want political change – which I’m sure they don’t – they would place term limits. They would state that all incumbent lawmakers cannot run in the 2019 elections to ensure a fresh beginning. They would ban political dynasties, even up to the second degree of marriage, blood and civil partnerships (i.e. the kabit system).

Then I would believe Arroyo has changed.

Comments

  1. Nice reportage, this is the kind of info which should reach all spectrums of society, GJ…

  2. Another wise word from a great philosopher:

    HAVE YOU FIGURED IT OUT ALREADY?

    If marijuana is the gateway drug to heroin, cocaine, meth, Duterte is the gateway politician to the return of the corrupt and the oppressive and brutal.

    BUMALIK NA ANG CORRUPT, KAYA PALA ANG HIRAP

  3. In every story there is always both sides to be heard…..this is just a statement of raissa no documents presented just a story…..everyone can make a story and lied….

      • If I may add: GMA cannot run for Congress next year because of term limits, so she will run for the Senate, then for Senate President. Go figure!

    • @Rosalinda b palay

      ay kapag lousy english lousy troll….

      ms palay, kamusta na Sinandomeng? hi hi hi (gets nyo ba?)

  4. Hi Raissa, could you clarify this?

    You mention two versions of the draft Constitution submitted by Gloria. You say that despite not being announced Arroyo’s sneakily-revised House Resolution is online, as is her original version, and therefore you give two links, viz: http://www.congress.gov.ph/legisdocs/basic_17/RBH0015.pdf and http://www.congress.gov.ph/legisdocs/first_17/CR00881.pdf

    However I am puzzled, because reading these documents in both cases the paragraph about the death or incapacity of the President, Art 9, Section 8, reads exactly the same: “In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall become the President to serve the unexpired term.”

    Could you explain where we can find the draft Constitution with the text about the Senate President replacing the deceased or incapacitated President, and for our convenience tell us what Article and what Section it is? Or link us to the article in which RG Cruz mentions that the Senate President will become the acting President?

    • Hi Matthew,

      Yes, I was puzzled myself until I asked someone else more knowledgeable to explain.

      It’s buried in page 46, Section 4 of Article XVII (the Transitory Provisions).

      Clever, huh.

  5. What is wrong with her? She never have lost her appetite for greed, power and money. Her hospital arrest made her only strong in her resolve to come back and continue to pepetuate her corruption galore…ssshhh..

      • gma in vengeance mood, yan din po ang isip ko. ilalampaso niyan ang 1987 constitution dahil under the said constitution ay nakulong siya, na hold departure order din po at na-hospital arrest pa. truly, gma has no love for the 1987 constitution and now freed, ayan ‘susunugin’ ang dating constitution at pupunitin. yong dating inasahang niyang advocacy kuno ni amal clooney na supposedly aimed to free gma ay walang nangyari. it was duterte that freed gma and not amal clooney.

        for years, gma hid behind the neckbrace, suv niya wheelchair. years of no attention and having her influential name dropped from headlines and front pages must have been terrribly galling.

        well, if gma has not learned from the past, her future could as well be galling. dati may sakit kuno sa batok, baka next time, cancer na sa batok ang maging excuse.

        and just because she easily got rid of alvarez does not mean she can have it all her way all the way. she will be resisted, she will be fought and people will put up resistance.

        • pinalaya ni duterte si gma, given amnesty baga. uhm, that amnesty could well be revoked in the future. baka balik sa wheelchair uli siya, he, he, he.

        • Oo nga, bigla nawala ang neckbrace ni Aling Maliit ng ma-freed ni Duterte. Biglang gumaling tapos arangkada na naman sa dating gawi. Sana ang mga tao ay maging vigilant kasi we cannot rely sa mga politicians para ipagtanggol ang ating constitution. From her draft proposal to scrap 1987 constitution, makikita natin how grabe ang greed and vengeful niya. Hope you will be right “that people will put up resistance” against her.

  6. Are they trying to create a civil war within our own country just to justify their greed for power and money?

      • I think there is a reason why this govt would like the citizens starving, so the people would be busy looking for jobs, looking for food and very weak spiritually , mentally and physically to unite and fight them.

        And they would really hate to lose Mocha if nothing else because she helps in dumb’ing down most supporters that they aren’t able to see the difference between goodness and evil. All they know is that anyone anti Duterte is either Dilawan or terrorist.

        The light of goodness shone in the recent SC confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, whether you are pro Trump or not, it was about political maneuvering to destroy a good family man through sexual harassment allegations. It is ironic that in the past those little girls and females who have to share washrooms with men, boy/she men, transgender and flash their dingles, nobody shouts sexual abuse. Nowadays, if adults see a man’s tootsie flashed in a party it is already a case of sexual rape.The American people and their representatives stood their ground and did not let those evil minds contaminate /destroy their values and constitution. Hooray!

        It must be true that the sitting president might be going down fast due to critical terminal illness for Arroyo to hasten her own constitution draft change; what a low life this woman is.

        So, all along she is not working for DU30 but for herself. It’s a test of integrity for the military to obey those blatantly disregarding the wishes of the people and chain of leadership in case DU30 dies of cancer. Do30 on the other hand doesn’t care about the citizens because this is the crucial time to amend his reputation and legacy from a destroyer to be humane and magnanimous in the late days of his life.
        I read innuendos he is not a real Do30 pedigree :) hmmm. Could it be because of rejection why he is behaving this way, a real turn around in contrary to his father’s legacy? Could be, just my opinion and a simple layman’s psychological assessment :)

    • Gloria “demonyita” Arroyo wants another shot at the Presidency !!! But first she will need to ensure the passage of a new constitution and the reinstatement of “Garci” in the comelec !!!

      • GMA must be secretly moving to have her draft constitution approved by the LH and maybe by the Senate. Does she have also a secret first-hand info that PRRD is sick with cancer? Then for sure GMA will shoot down at PRRD draft made the COM-COM and Voila! her own draft is the one approved.

        What is PRRD thinking about this GMA’s move? Will he make a move against GMA on this?

        Shouldn’t the people also have their own proposed draft of a constitution under the Initiative provision of the 1987 Constitution?

        • kaya pinaparesign si alan p sa dfa para congressman sa taguig. ang ate for senador. iyong mga co-termenos pinapatakbo na to their safety. pagnanalo unli ang kanilang paglilingkod sa bayan. iyan ang pamana ni digong sa kanyang mga loyal na alalay

  7. Feduperal constitution by Spk Arroyo.

    One by Digong is also super Feduperal constitution.

    People will get bloated with these feeduperals.

    Shame coming not change. Greed to eat political menus.

  8. ‘When we had no term limits—and that was before the 1972 Martial Law—the same names kept occupying seats in Congress. I have the proof. Ask me and I will post it online.’

    ma’am raissa, kindly post it online.
    ————————————————————————
    kaya pala gusto ni senate president na baguhin ang last part ng ating national anthem. tugma sa bagong version of a federal government.