CHURCH, LABOR GROUPS OPPOSE CHARTER CHANGE August 15, 2014 - TopicsExpress



          

CHURCH, LABOR GROUPS OPPOSE CHARTER CHANGE August 15, 2014 Written by Lee Ann P. Ducusin Published in Nation THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and labor groups yesterday thumbed down the proposal to amend the constitution and extend the term of President Benigno Aquino. In a statement Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, CBCP president, said he cannot support a constitutional amendment which only serves the purposes of one office-holder or one group. “As a citizen I cannot lend support to constitutional amendments that merely serve the purposes of one office-holder or one class of persons. Constitutional amendments are justified only in the measure that they redound to the benefit of the nation and address long long-festering problems arising out of ambiguities in the Constitution,” he said. Villegas also opposed the proposed curbing of the power of judicial review, which is the people’s only recourse against an abusive State and politicians. “We cannot support the proposed curtailment of the power of judicial review. Against the heavy hand of the State or transgressions of the Constitution by politicians, judicial review is the only recourse of the hapless citizen,” he said. Meanwhile, Koalisyon ng Progresibo at Makabayang Manggagawa stood firm in rejecting another term for Aquino. KPMM Spokesperson Sammy Malunes said Aquino proves himself a hypocrite for wanting a term extension when he had previously declared that he was against doing a Marcos or a Macapagal-Arroyo who both sought to extend their respective terms in violation of the Philippine Constitution and the will of the Filipino people. “Aquino has finally revealed his true colors and true ambitions to be a dictator. He has shed all pretenses of being a democratic leader and has begun to completely embrace his role as a dictator in the making,” Malunes said. “Aquino has all the makings of a Marcos: he is indifferent to the power and authority of other branches of government and has no qualms about quashing political dissent as seen in his combative stance against the Supreme Court. Neither has he sufficiently addressed the issue of the shocking and unprecedented levels of corruption in his administration as manifested in the DAP and PDAF scams it implemented. Aquino is well on the way to becoming a dictator and he must be stopped,” he added. “Aquino lies when he says that he is only heeding a demand emanating from the Filipino people that he remain president after 2016. There is no such demand – Filipinos want accountability, demand it from the Aquino administration, but Aquino himself ignores this public clamor. He is deliberately deluding himself when he says that he remains a popular president: he is only listening to what his equally delusional sister Kris Aquino who promotes herself as some kind of political analyst who has a finger on the public pulse,” he said. The labor leader said that the KPMM will continue to join the protests against the Aquino government’s corruption through the PDAF, DAP and the Special Purpose Fund. He said that officials like Senate president Franklin Drilon, DBM secretary Butch Abad and all senators and congressional representatives named in the scams should also be held accountable. “KPMM will mobilize its ranks to join the nationally coordinated protests against Aquino and its corruption on August 25. Aquino must not be allowed to extend his term as president, and he should be held accountable for his worsening violations against the Constitution and the Filipino people’s political, economic, civil and democratic rights,” he said. PEOPLES JOURNAL
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 11:01:38 +0000

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