Cha-cha through PI derailed

The Charter-change move is like a rehashed movie. One has the eerie feeling of having seen it all before. It has a familiar script — the proponents positioning themselves as “bidas” or lead actors, messiahs who will liberate us from the morass of economic ills, while the opposition or “kontra bidas” warn that it is all a ruse with selfish political interest as the hidden agenda.

A strong feeling of déjà vu grasps one, making one wonder how some people just cannot learn from the lessons of the past. But the current plot thickens with the recent message from Malacañang about its prominent resident’s predilection for Cha-cha via a Constituent Assembly, not a People’s Initiative.

And we watch with growing interest even as the nation grapples with tons of problems like inflation, partisan bickering, and threats from giant China.

Having said that, some national politicians whose true agenda is foggy have mobilized their forces and resources to amend the Constitution. The chosen mode is through a People’s Initiative, the third mode provided by the Constitution (the other are a constitutional convention and a constituent assembly by Congress). Apparently, the Cha-cha train is chugging along in select areas of the country where signature campaigns have started.

The move doesn’t stoke much interest among Muslims. The choo-choo of the Cha-cha train is hardly audible in the region. If at all, their interest is focused on institutionalizing the autonomy of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the Constitution to ensure the continuity, stability, and future of the BARMM. They are interested more in enshrining the provisions of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, or BOL, in the Charter in a manner that can withstand any changing gusts of political winds that might modify or diminish the autonomy they are now enjoying.

Although the enactment of the BOL is solidly anchored on constitutional provisions, there are still lingering doubts about its sturdiness. The BARMM is a creation of Congress, and at any time, if it displeases the central government, it can tinker with the autonomy by altering, lessening, or, worse, withdrawing the powers it has granted.

When that happens, we might return to the status quo ante, where the central government will need to be challenged. This could result in another social conflagration, a possible flashpoint that could lead to fratricide, push back social development, and waste the peace dividends gained with the grant of autonomy. We hate to see a face-off like what happened in Catalonia in 2017 when the Catalan autonomous government unilaterally declared independence from Spain, plunging the country into a serious political crisis.

Incidentally, the move for a People’s Initiative has suffered a fatal blow. A recent media release by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said President Marcos and the Senate prefer a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution. Zubiri, who in the past had expressed an aversion to Charter change, had a change of heart and had, in fact, sponsored a resolution along with other senators calling for a Constituent Assembly. Campaigners for a People’s Initiative may as well say goodbye to their plan. The President’s predilection is a death knell for their initiative.

Meantime, Muslims watch the journey of the Cha-cha train with guarded interest, regardless of the mode of change. Will it reach its destination? Will it be derailed like past administrations’ attempts because of devious, selfish political interests? How is the move influenced by the unfolding political drama featuring the lead actors in the UniTeam? Will the changes be truly limited to the economic provisions? What safety nets will protect the process from overreaching to the political provisions to promote the interests of politicians and other vested interest groups? These and many other questions beg for answers.

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