The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines yesterday scored the so-called people's initiative for Charter change for being "dangerously unclear and open to manipulation by groups with self-serving interests."

The CBCP pastoral letter issued by its president, Archbishop of Jaro Angel Lagdameo, said the bishops view with deep concern the attempt of certain sectors to make hasty and substantial changes to the Constitution, supposedly through a people's initiative.

"As Christians, we cannot be complacent and inactive in the face of this present issue of charter change, which is so crucial to the future of our country and people," he said in the pastoral letter posted on the CBCP website.

Vigilance, education, principled opposition may be necessary steps to take, Lagdameo said.

Daisy Real, Commission on Elections provincial supervisor, said, so far, signatures of voters supporting the people's initiative for Charter change from 12 towns and cities in Negros Occidental, the latest of which were from Kabankalan City and Pontevedra town, have been submitted to the COMELEC for verification.

This developed as Bayan Negros yesterday launched an information campaign against Charter change in Zone 3 of Purok Riverside, Barangay Banago, Bacolod City, its secretary general Felipe Levy Gelle said. But President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in a statement issued by Malacanang yesterday said "it is high time now to give a new political structure a chance."

The Arroyo administration is pushing for a shift from a presidential to a unicameral parliamentary form of government.

"The present political and economic conditions of the country are already ripe for amending some of the provisions in the Constitution to suit our readiness to face the challenges of modern times in terms of improving the quality of life of the Filipino people," Arroyo said.

A DAILY STAR source said that, while the move for charter change is supposed to be a people's initiative, it is interesting that the signatures submitted to the various Comelec offices in Negros Occidental for verification come in identical forms. No group has surfaced in the province to claim responsibility for spearheading the people's initiative.

The source said that, while some government officials are behind the move, he did not understand why they are afraid to come out in the open and admit it.

Lagdameo said the bishops recognize and respect those many concerned and thoughtful Filipinos who see constitutional reform as a necessary remedy to the country's many problems and agree that certain aspects of our Constitutions may need amendments and revisions.

However, what the bishops wish to challenge and express their unease about, is the process by which these changes are being brought about, he said.

Changing the Constitution involving major shifts in the form of government, requires widespread participation, total transparency, and relative serenity that allows for rational discussion and debate, he said.

The provision for a People's Initiative in the present Constitution was precisely an attempt to allow people's participation, he said.

However, under the present signature campaign endorsed by the government, signatures are apparently collected without adequate information, discussion and education, he said.

"The manner in which these signatures are supposedly collected, including door to door campaigns, are not conducive to the kind of informed participation that such fundamental changes demand." Lagdameo added.

The complexities and variations of the parliamentary system are not adequately explained and have not been sufficiently discussed by the people, he said.

The reasons for constitutional change must be based on the common good rather than on self-serving interests or the interests of political dynasties, he said.

Changes must assure shifts towards: principled politics, transparency and accountability, electoral and institutional reform, and more efficient delivery of services to the people, especially the poorest, he said.

However, no such provisions have been clearly specified in the present signature campaign, he said.

Instead, people are given general and sweeping promises of political stability and reform that will allegedly automatically come with a new political system, he said.

This lack of clarity on how the changes will truly benefit our nation raises disturbing questions about who will truly benefit from these changes, he said.

Lagdameo said the challenge of Pope Benedict XVI for the church not to remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice impels the bishops of the Philippines to express their concern.*CPG

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