Block Con-Ass, Blockade Congress

By a simple viva voce, the House of Representatives passed Resolution 1109 which allows the Lower House to transform itself into a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) in order to amend the 1987 Constitution.

This move has again shown that Congress has been turned into a plaything of the Arroyo administration. Whatever President GMA wants, she gets at least through the Lower House. The Philippine Daily Tribune has reported that the passage of HR 1109 came with a presidential bribe of P20 million pork barrel allocations for each congressman who voted “yea” in the plenary. Hence, despite protests from congressmen belonging to the minority group and mostly the party-lists, Congress rams thorough the Con-Ass resolution with impunity and glee.

The travesty was shown on television till midnight yesterday. The public has once again witnessed how Congress is used by the trapos in power. Without shame, trapo congressmen were shown salivating in delight as the leadership of the House maneuvered the railroading of the resolution.

This is the nth time that Congress has exposed itself as a stooge of the Arroyo administration. Last we remember, this Congress had junked the impeachment case filed by the Opposition. Previous to this, Congress had its congressmen and congresswomen lined up in a televised session to implement Malacanang’s order to depose former ally Jose de Venecia as Speaker of the House in favor of Prospero Nograles.

In this latest mockery and massacre of parliamentary democracy, Congress has served notice that it is ready to commit the crime of butchering the Constitution to serve the trapos’ ends. And if it is not stopped, Congress will commit the crime when it meets again during the Sona on July 27.

The only recourse to block the Con-Ass is to blockade the House. Don’t let Congress convene during the Sona. Don’t let it convene at all. Padlock it and put an end to trapo rule, at least in the Lower House. #