MANILA – The coalition Sa Tamang Oras at
Paraan (STOP) which was recently formed to stop the cha cha (charter change)
train of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is headed toward a collision course.
STOP, which was recently launched by
former President Corazon Aquino, opposition and civil society groups, said it
would urge the people to march on the streets if the Supreme Court, which is
now deliberating the charter change issue will uphold the Malacanang backed
initiative.
This came as the charismatic group El
Shaddai recently openly came out against the proposal to change the charter
through a peoples’ initiative. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines, which recently came out against the charter change, it would
rather let the political groups to be at the forefront of the campaign..
Bishops said they will only provide moral and spiritual guidelines.
Earlier, the President gloated that there
was no stopping the cha cha train as her supporters proceeded with getting
signatures from citizens nationwide.
At the moment, STOP will focus on filing
court petitions at the district level to stop election officials from verifying
signatures gathered by Cha-cha advocate Sigaw ng Bayan. (SB) The tribunal in
1997 ruled that the law on initiative and referendum applies only to ordinances
and laws; it is inadequate to cover people’s initiative for charter amendments.
“It’s important that we decide now (on)
what we are prepared to do (next). It took us 14 years to act against Martial
Law, but I hope and, considering my age, it won’t take that long. The key is to
make a commitment again and again,” she said. Aquino led a similar coalition in
1997, which staged a massive rally at Luneta Park, against a proposed amendment
to lift term limits.
Joining Aquino at the STOP launching were
Senate President Franklin Drilon, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, president of the
United Opposition (UNO), and House minority leader Francis Escudero, UNO
secretary general. Escudero urged the people to follow the lead of the
opposition in asking local courts to issue temporary restraining orders against
the verification of signatures. “Our target is to file the petitions in all
areas where the verifications are being undertaken but the resources and
machinery are limited. Hopefully, many more will follow,” he said.
The People’s Movement Against Charter
Change, along with the lawyers group Counsels for the Defense of Liberties and
the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, the other day asked the Quezon City
regional trial court to issue a TRO. Other petitions for TROs were filed
in the cities of Manila, Makati, Bacolod, Iloilo and Roxas. Escudero hailed the
recent decision of the Roxas City RTC to issue a 20-day TRO.
He said instead of going to the tribunal
and giving the government what it needs - the reversal of the high court’s ruling -UNO would continue lodging petitions
before lower courts.
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio
Ledesma, CBCP spokesman, said: “The Church can’t be in the forefront (of anti
Cha-cha protests).” “We are calling on Filipino Christian laity to take it upon
themselves (to act on this issue). We are not political pastors,” he said.
