Ruling and moderate opposition parties agreed yesterday to work immediately for constitutional revisions -- and possibly new elections -- as part of efforts to solve a crisis over allegations that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo rigged last year's election.
A statement by leaders and representatives of at least 17 political parties -- including Arroyo's Lakas -- broadly resembles a recent proposal by former president Fidel Ramos, who came to Arroyo's help with a plan to swiftly change the Constitution and shift to a parliamentary system with new elections next year.
Ramos' proposal rejects calls for Arroyo's resignation and appears to give her some room to maneuver as she struggles to regain credibility hurt by the electoral fraud allegations and Cabinet resignations.
PHOTO: AFP
Last week, Ramos said his proposal was "a graceful exit option" for Arroyo.
The political parties said at a conference that they "believe the best solution to the present crisis is provided by the present constitution" and opposed any extraconstitutional means to end the turmoil. They also urged "immediate revision of the constitution as the proper and correct starting point to re-establish harmony and stability of the nation."
Arroyo thanked the parties for the proposed reform, noting that she has been advocating a shift to a parliamentary and federal form of government as better suited for the Philippines than the US-style presidential system.
"I know this will be met with criticism for those who want me to resign from office and short-cut the constitutional process, but I'd like to appeal to them to listen to the voice of the law, the fundamental law of the land," said Arroyo, whose term ends in 2010.
She said over the years, the country's political system has "degenerated to a point that it needs fundamental change."
House Speaker Jose de Venecia, from Arroyo's Lakas party and chairman of the conference, said the parties agreed to push for a resolution to convene Congress into a constitution-drafting body as soon as it reconvenes on July 25. They also agreed to form a nine-member committee to consult with various sectors and develop a new constitutional framework.
"We decided to move for the modernization of the political parties, and of the civil service as a prelude to a major campaign to shift to a parliamentary government," de Venecia told a news conference attended by Arroyo.
The parties turned over a copy of their manifesto to Arroyo to serve as input to her state of the nation address on July 25.
De Venecia said the new Constitution's provisions would dictate whether Arroyo's term would be cut short and elections held next year, as proposed by Ramos.
Signatories to the agreement included opposition Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of ousted president Joseph Estrada's party, and Senator Edgardo Angara, president of a faction of the opposition LDP party. Both are identified with Estrada and Arroyo's main challenger in last year's ballot, the late Fernando Poe Jr.
Meanwhile, police went on nationwide alert yesterday as opposition groups prepared a massive rally aimed at forcing Arroyo to quit.
Organizers said as many as 50,000 people would converge on the capital's Makati financial district today from different parts of the country.
The rally is seen as a test of whether the opposition can garner enough public support to oust Arroyo.
Opposition legislators, who had hoped to pressure Arroyo to resign, announced they were changing tactics and would instead seek her impeachment over allegations that she stole last year's election.
National police chief Arturo Lomibao said communist guerrillas and other extremists might infiltrate the rally to stir up trouble.
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