Members of the executive branch, the Senate and the House of Representatives restored "
diplomatic relations" yesterday and discussed
Charter change as well as priority bills that had been pending before Congress for quite some time.
Officials who attended the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting said it achieved a "
breakthrough," bringing back "congeniality" among lawmakers and administration officials, led by President Arroyo, who have been locking horns over many issues.
The executive branch and the Senate have been fighting over Mrs. Arroyo’s Executive Order 464, which barred Cabinet, military and police officials from attending legislative inquiries without her consent. She had branded these investigations as "in aid of destabilization."
The Senate and the House, on the other hand, have not been seeing eye to eye over the issue of Cha-cha or Charter change. Congressmen want Cha-cha to pave the way for a unicameral parliamentary system, while senators are opposed to shifting the form of government since it would mean the dissolution of the Senate as an institution.
Presidential Political Adviser Gabriel Claudio and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the mere presence of Senate President Franklin Drilon and seven other senators during the LEDAC meeting at Malacañang could be considered a milestone.
"We are very grateful for their (senators) presence because it gave an environment of accommodation and cordiality among the participants," Claudio said.
Sen. Richard Gordon believed the meeting broke the trend of "name-calling, back-biting, and we’re going to start talking again in terms of what we can do, and that is important."
"That’s a big, big push," he said regarding relations between the House and the Senate and their decision to meet, through their respective committees on constitutional amendments, on Cha-cha.
Claudio and Bunye said "everyone on the table" was happy about the restoration of "diplomatic relations" for the sake of the proposed measures that should be passed into law.
Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. was the one who suggested that a LEDAC be convened, given the impasse among the branches of government.
Claudio said the lawmakers and the executive officials achieved a breakthrough by setting aside political differences and engaging in a dialogue.
Of the 11 priority measures discussed during the LEDAC meeting, Gordon said Congress could pass at least four of them using the 19 session days remaining until the lawmakers take a break in June.
"We still have the budget, don’t forget that. I think realistically, maybe about four measures would be passed," he said.
Gordon said they hope they could pass "the measures on — and the President agrees with this — bio-fuels and the alternative fuels bill, fiscal measures that have to be taken and personally I would like to see the automated election bill passed, that’s also been prioritized by the President."
He ruled out the early passage of the anti-terror bill, saying debates on issues surrounding it would be protracted.
Claudio and Gordon said the President engaged the senators in friendly conversation. They clarified that the meeting was not called in order to suspend legislative inquiries.
"None of those (political) things. The meeting was very cordial, the meeting was very frank and candid. The meeting was very forward-moving," Gordon said.
The other priority measures discussed in the LEDAC meeting were the tax reduction for low-income earners, the amendment of the Bases Conversion Development Authority Act and eco-zone incentives, rationalization of fiscal incentives, anti-smuggling, tourism policy and the extension of Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
The 11th priority measure, which seeks the creation of a credit information bureau, was raised by Sen. Edgardo Angara.
Aside from Drilon, Gordon and Angara, others who attended were Senate President Pro Tempore Juan Flavier, Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan and Senators Ralph Recto, Juan Ponce Enrile and Manuel Villar Jr.
De Venecia was accompanied by Deputy Speaker Gerry Salapuddin, Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, Deputy Minority Leader Agapito Aquino, and Reps. Simeon Datumanong, Teodoro Locsin, Junie Chua, Ace Barbers, Miguel Zubiri and Monico Puentebella.
Vice President Noli de Castro and most of the Cabinet members were also present during the meeting.
Claudio said executive branch officials and lawmakers "intend to build on this renewed good will and we plan to convene LEDAC more often."
He said the participants were all serious but obliging and affable, especially when the found they have a common set of priorities.
"
There is really an urgency and necessity for these bills and we’re happy that everybody came out of the meeting smiling and friendlier," Claudio said. "There was sense of accomplishment, release and renewed congeniality."
He added that the participants at the LEDAC meeting "were teasing one another and laughing (during) the course of the meeting."
Claudio said the lawmakers assured they would maximize their time in working on the bills.
Duty-bound
After he severed ties with Mrs. Arroyo when he called for her resignation in July last year, Drilon engaged her in "cordial" discussions during the meeting.
Drilon and former President Corazon Aquino, who also called for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation due to allegations of electoral fraud in the 2004 elections, did not attend the Council of State meeting convened in Malacañang late January.
Both Drilon and Aquino are automatic members of the Council of State.
Drilon did not talk about reconciling with Mrs. Arroyo but said he had to attend the LEDAC meeting out of duty.
"I have been back here before, every LEDAC meeting I am here. It is part of my duty as president of the Senate, no big deal," he said.
Drilon said his position on various issues involving the President would not change but stressed that the Senate as an institution will work hard to pass priority measures identified during the LEDAC meeting.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President was grateful to see the Senate and House leaders attending the meeting despite their political differences.
"I always say that the Senate President is a statesman, he knows his duty," Ermita said.
At the height of the controversy involving Mrs. Arroyo last year, Drilon also attended a LEDAC meeting but officials said he did not talk much.
Claudio said he could not tell if Drilon’s attendance was a first step towards reconciliation but what happened during yesterday’s LEDAC was "a very good start."
"I think from the very beginning of the meeting, we knew how important dialogues were. Their attendance and participation were enough. And we are very happy with the outcome of the meeting," he said.
Gordon said he could not completely dismiss the possibility of a reconciliation between the two officials.
"Politicians say there will be no reconciliation but afterwards you see them together in rallies," he said, adding that Mrs. Arroyo and Drilon had indeed talked and gone beyond shaking hands.
Breakthrough on Cha-cha
Angara described the meeting as "substantial," opening up avenues from the dialogue between the two branches of government, particularly on the issue of Charter change.
"It’s a great breakthrough with regards to constitutional change," Angara said.
Drilon, apart from calling for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation last year, also joined Aquino at last month’s launch of the STOP (Sa Tamang Oras at Panahon) Cha-cha movement.
Angara quoted Drilon at the start of the meeting as saying that "the Senate is not opposed to constitutional change (but to) the manner it is presented."
According to Angara, Drilon’s statements "embodies the sentiments of the majority of the senators that they are not opposed to charter change."
The senators have apparently backtracked on their earlier stance against Charter change. They now agree to convening a constituent assembly, but only if the Senate votes separately from the House.
Angara believes the people’s initiative has been ruled out as a mode of Charter change and the choice is between convening a constituent assembly or holding a constitutional convention.
However, Drilon denied claims by the Palace and the House that the Senate "softened" its stand against Charter change.
"Contrary to the spin that the Senate has softened up on the Charter Change issue, what virtually happened in (today’s) LEDAC meeting was the opposite," he said.
Drilon said "it is Malacañang that has softened up because (Mrs.) Arroyo has apparently abandoned the controversial people’s initiative, and now favors constituent assembly as a mode of amending the Constitution."
He said the Palace must have realized that the Senate is right all along: "That the people’s initiative scheme is patently illegal. This validates the information I got from a close adviser of (Mrs.) Arroyo that she will abandon the people’s initiative train."
"My question now is: How will the national and local officials liquidate public funds that they used for the illegal people’s initiative nationwide campaign?" Drilon asked. — With Christina Mendez
Palace, Congress restore ties
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