Issue of Aquino 2nd term divides Liberal Party

The ruling Liberal Party is sharply divided over a proposal to
amend the Constitution to allow President Aquino to run for a second
term in 2016.

Party members said the split may be resolved only through a party caucus or a declaration from the President himself.

On one side is the group led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II who fear that extending the
President’s term would derail their campaign to amend the Charter, but
only for lifting caps on foreign investments in the country.

“A second term means changing the Constitution. That’s not so
easy. Anyway, I believe there is no divide, everyone has his own
opinion,” said Belmonte in a text message.

An LP ally, the Akbayan party-list, had declared it would not
join the move to amend the Charter to make it possible for Aquino to
seek a second term.

“Frankly, this is empty talk that is discouraged by the
President himself who has been firmly against any change in any part of
the Constitution,” said Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello.

On the other side is the group of mostly “original” LP members advocating a second term for the President.

“Everyone has an opinion on term extension but in the ultimate
analysis, we consult our constituents on major issues. This is the
beauty of democracy,” said Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas, one of the leading
proponents of the call for Aquino to seek another term.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice has said that he would file a
resolution seeking to amend the constitutional provision prescribing a
single six-year term limit and no reelection, for the President.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. said that while amending this
particular provision of the Constitution would be “always difficult,”
considering the potentially divisive process and the mandatory
plebiscite, he has not shut the door to the possibility of the President
running for a second term.

“If there will be a strong clamor from the people, then the
party leadership will have to meet and take a stand on the issue,”
said Tupas.

 | Inquirer News

Aquino ‘not worried’ about impeachment complaints

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang insisted on Sunday that President
Benigno Aquino III committed no impeachable offense as three impeachment
complaints against him were set to move forward at the
administration-controlled House of Representatives.


Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma claimed the Palace would
not interfere with the proceedings, saying it “recognizes the principle
of separation of powers” between the executive branch and the
legislature.


“The President is not worried about the proceedings because he
knows that he has not committed any impeachable offense,” Coloma said in
Filipino over Radyo ng Bayan.


Congressmen belonging to the Makabayan bloc want Aquino removed
from office over the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the
Enhanced Defense Cooperation (EDCA) with the United States.


All three impeachment complaints against the President are set to
be referred on Monday (Aug. 11) to the House committee on justice,
which is tasked to determine if they are sufficient in form and in
substance.


The committee is chaired by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., a staunch ally of the President.


Coloma sought to downplay the impact of the impeachment complaints on the President, saying they were “not a priority.”


“The President has more important priorities focused on the
country’s development and on pushing for the reforms that he has
started,” he said.


Neophyte Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon, who had endorsed one of the
impeachment complaints, earlier urged the justice committee “to listen
and consider the arguments we will present during the impeachment
proceedings.”


“They should not play blind, deaf, and mute to the travesties committed by the President,” Ridon said in a statement.


Coloma said it would be up to House members to determine the outcome of the impeachment complaints.


“They, the members of the chamber, are the ones who will decide on what they intend to do on the matter,” he said.

Drilon slams UNA for trying to make Aquino ‘lame duck’ president

       

 

Senator Franklin Drilon. FILE PHOTO

 

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Franklin Drilon has accused the United Nationalist Alliance  (UNA) of allegedly trying to make  President Benigno Aquino III a “lame duck”  ever since  he assumed office in  2010.

And  the President  himself, Drilon  said,  was “conscious” of  that effort  by  UNA, headed  by Vice President Jejomar Binay and former President Joseph Estrada.

“I am sure Toby won’t admit it. But the objective, in any not only in UNA, in general on opposition, for the last three years of this administration, (they) are trying to make this administration a lame duck,”  he said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) Tuesday  night.

Toby is  Navotas Representative  Tobias Tiangco, secretary –general  of UNA,  who was  also being  interviewed on the  same  network. Drilon, meanwhile is the campaign manager of the  Liberal Party-led coalition ticket.

“There is nothing wrong with that, by the way, because you compete for political power and therefore, part of that, you try to make the incumbent sitting President a lame duck. We are conscious of that. The President is conscious of that. And we draw the line. We will not be lame duck. We will have the majority of the people with us because we still have reforms to do,” Drilon said.

“Yes. Let us call a spade a spade. Maybe not in your show they will never admit that they are trying to make the President a lame duck. But in their internal meetings, natural iyon. Huwag na tayong maglokohan. Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said.

“But that’s a challenge for us. We will show that for the next three years, we will do things correctly; we will do things in a manner that a decent right-thinking will do regardless of a politics,” he added.

Tiangco, responding  to Drilon’s statements, said  he would not concede that they would like to make the President a lame duck.

“I agreed that we are competing with the LP, but we equally support the good programs of the administration. Yung LP lang ang katunggali namin sa pulitika,” Tiangco said.

“And the President happens to be our chairman,” Drilon said.

“But he also happens to be the President of the Philippines,”  said the UNA spokesman.

Drilon then reiterated his  call for  UNA to draw  the lines and  admit  that they are the opposition.

“I have always told Toby: let’s define the lines. We are the administration, you are the opposition. There is nothing wrong with that. In democracy, opposition is necessary,” said the senator.

 

via newsinfo.inquirer.net