Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran today hailed the decision of eight High Court justices, including Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Justices Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, Antonio Carpio, Romeo Callejo Sr., Ma. Alicia Martinez, Conchita Carpio-Morales and Adolfo Azcuna againdt the people’s initiative petition.
“This is very heartening news,” said Beltran. “This gives strong encouragement to the broad anti-charter change movement. The eight justices have done a great service to the Filipino people and the country but resisting Malacanang pressure and thumbing down the bogus signature petition for charter change.”
Beltran said that since it was apparent that the pro-cha cha forces in Congress and Malacanang will not give up despite the High Court ruling, they should prepare themselves for a political showdown in Congress. He dismissed the assertions of the former that they are fully capable of holding a plebicite for charter change in January 2007.
“They don’t have enough time for this, and if they insist on pushing through with such a plebiscite ill prepared and ill-timed they will only be fooling themselves and conducting a circus-show of a plebicite,” he said.
Beltran also opined that by the time January comes in, most politicians will be busy preparing for their own candidacies for the upcoming May 2007 elections. “Their ranks will be divided, and it will be every man and woman for himself/herself again. The chances of a credible plebiscite being conducted are only two slim and none. As for the House pushing for a constitutional assembly, well, it can’t and won’t succeed either because Congress will be going at this effort alone without the support of the Senate, the Church, and most other progressive sectors of Philippine society. It’s the end of the line for the Charter Change train.”
Those who voted for the petition were Justices Reynato Puno, Leonardo Quisumbing, Renato Corona, Dante Tinga, Cancio Garcia, Minita Chico-Nazario and Presbiterio Velasco Jr.
