Charter change is a US agenda
The proposed "chacha" (charter change) is one of US imperialism's most urgent agenda in the Philippines. Thus, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her closest supporters are now hastily trying to unify reactionary politicians around this plan. Arroyo is wasting no time in pushing this scheme because of all the reactionary politicians, it is she who stands to benefit the most from it.
The issue accorded the most publicity in plans to amend the constitution is changing the form of government from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system. But the question of changing the form of government under the present political and social system is meaningful only for the reactionaries. It only resolves the issue of how to effect the orderly sharing of power.
The more important issue in "chacha" actually involves plans to do away with the declared principle of national patrimony and independence in order to pave the way for the complete domination by US imperialism of Philippine economic, political and military affairs. It is no secret that eliminating restrictions on setting up foreign military bases, bringing in foreign troops without the benefit of a treaty, and bringing in nuclear arms are on the US agenda. The US also wants to remove remaining provisions against foreign ownership of land and 100% ownership of enterprises, and take away the power of the courts to rule on economic matters.
It is also the objective of the US and its local minions to wipe out the formal civil rights of the Filipino people, have the US' "anti-terrorism" doctrine written into the Philippine constitution and pave the way for fascist laws and orders such as the National ID system, the better to suppress the people.
It may be recalled that during the campaign period, Arroyo promised that if she wins the presidency, she will step down in 2007 to pave the way for a parliamentary system of government. She merely wanted to mask how power-hungry she was and elicit the voters' sympathy. But just hours after she was sworn in on June 30, she reneged on this promise.
Arroyo had just finished ironing out the "legality" of her new term when she immediately laid out plans on how to extend her rule through other means. She has also intimated her willingness to serve both as president and prime minister, just like the dictator Marcos in 1978. But she has only succeeded in infuriating the people and stoking the flames of intense infighting among ruling cliques.
Progressive parties and democratic mass organizations are leading the people's movement against "chacha." They correctly believe that "chacha" only serves the interests of foreign capital and the ruling classes and would only bring further suffering and oppression to the Filipino people.
They are also correct in emphasizing the necessity of confronting first and foremost the urgent issue of the worsening economic crisis, intensifying poverty and other problems faced by the country and Filipino people as a result of among others, the successive increases in the prices of basic goods and services, the continuing decline of real wages and earnings, continuing militarization and violations of human rights and the suppression of freedom of expression.
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