The Roman Catholic Church will continue with its nationwide prayer rallies on Dec. 15 despite the announcement by allies of President Gloria Arroyo that they had abandoned the plan to amend the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly.

The announcement of House Speaker Jose de Venecia that his group will now go for a Constitutional Convention to amend the Constitution is a farce because the tenor of his statement does not indicate that they have ruled out ConAss, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra said yesterday.

De Venecia and the House majority coalition announced Saturday that the House was willing to suspend its ConAss move for 72 hours to await the official Senate response to the congressmen's call for a Con-con.

De Venecia clarified the House was not giving the Senate an ultimatum but a deadline that the legislative calendar for the year has forced upon the members of Congress.

"Congress will be in recess after next week. We are faced with this deadline. If we wait for January to act, we will be losing four weeks, and we no longer have the luxury of time to proceed with Charter reform," he said.

De Venecia said delegates to the convention could be elected simultaneously with the May 2007 senatorial and local elections.

"After the dirty House rapes the nation, it now proposes marriage," Senator Serge Osmeña said in a text message to the DAILY STAR.

Does the House have the prerogative to give the Senate a time limit to go for what it wants? Navarra asked.

Navarra called the 72-hour deadline given by de Venecia "foolish and very arrogant."

"We will continue with our watch and pray plans for Dec. 15 and will keep it up if the administration refuses to give up on ConAss," Navarra said.

Msgr. Meliton Oso, executive director of the Jaro Archdiocese social action center, yesterday also said the nationwide prayer rallies on December 15 to be led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines will continue.

"We cannot let or guards down. We cannot trust them (administration congressmen)," Oso said in a telephone interview.

CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo will lead the prayer rally at the grounds of the Jaro Cathedral from 6 to 8 p.m. The rally will culminate in the first "Simbang Gabi" to be celebrated by Lagdameo and other priests of the diocese, said Oso.

Prayer rallies are also set in Bacolod, Kabankalan and San Carlos cities in Negros Occidental on Dec. 15.

The prayer rallies to be held in dioceses and in major cities nationwide will be joined by Protestant church, militant organizations and opposition groups. Oso said they want the 86 dioceses of the Catholic Church to come out simultaneously and voice their opposition to Con-ass.

"We urge the people to be vigilant just the same," said Oso.

PUENTEVELLA'S STAND

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, who returned from the Asian Games in Qatar Saturday, also called a press conference Saturday to announce that he is pushing to amend the Constitution through a Constitutional Convention.

Puentevella said before he left for Qatar he had informed the President of his stand on amending the Constitution and his preference for the holding of an election in May.

The Bacolod solon said there was a concurrent resolution in the House pushing for ConAss about two years ago that he signed but "I withdrew my signature as shown in the records of the House."

In the House today, Puentevella said he will lead a lobby for the withdrawal of 72-hour deadline being given to the Senate and for the congressmen to adopt the Con-con as a means to amend the Constitution.

He said he hopes the Senate goes along with the move to amend the Constitution through a Con-con to unify the country.

The delegates to the Con-con can also be elected in the May polls, he added.

If there is a Con-con, Puentevella said he has some very distinguished personalities in mind to represent Bacolod but would not name them.

NOVERO FOR CON-CON

Bacolod Vice Mayor Renecito Novero yesterday said he is also for a Constitutional Convention.

"It could be expensive but that's more democratic, credible, honorable, responsible, unselfish, participative, genuine, intelligent empirical, conscientious, visionary and enduring."

Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (Neg. Occ., 5th district) said he is for the amendment of the Constitution but also favors the holding of the elections in May.

Meanwhile, Bayan Negros yesterday urged the people to remain vigilant against "nefarious" charter change moves, its secretary general Felipe Levy Gelle said.

He charged that the announced withdrawal of the House move on ConAss is "deceptive and hypocritical".

"The GMA-JDV tandem is blackmailing the people with their shameless tricks of pressuring the Senate to immediately pass a resolution convening a constitutional convention within 72 hours on Monday. They are driven by selfish personal moves and greed of power," Gelle said.

The Kilusan Para sa Pambansang Demokrasya - Negros yesterday also said GMA and de Venecia's backtracking on ConAss "should not lull the people into complacency."

"They will still pursue the anti-democratic, anti-national charter changes. And when given the chance, they will again maneuver to retain and perpetuate power in their hands," KPD charged.

Ben Solilapsi of Alab Katipunan Negros said the Con-con proposal of de Venecia is "a trap". He said the president should resign first before Cha-cha is implemented.*CPG

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