Five big reasons why we should reject Cha-cha
First and foremost, any Cha-cha is not necessary at this point in time. Second, it is not beneficial to the greater number of people. Third, the nation cannot afford it. The Comelec requires billions to conduct a plebiscite. Fourth, it will yield more harm than good, as our national patrimony would be open to foreign ownership, use and exploitation. Fifth, it will distract the peoples' focus on the most pressing and urgent problems of the country today.
The fundamental law of the land does not need any repair job simply because it is not broken. What is broken is the paradigm and perspectives of our traditional political leaders. What needs repair are the sense of nationalism of our politicians, the broken value systems of those who are in power, their lack of respect for the rights and general interests of the people. What are broken are the political beliefs and ideology of those who control Congress, both the Senate and the House. The Constitution of 1987 is the best charter that the sovereign Filipino people have ever ordained and promulgated. It is better than the 1935, the 1973 and the Freedom Constitution.
To tinker with our fundamental law at this point in our history, as a nation and as a people, is not beneficial at all to the greater number of Filipinos. The moment we start to open the Constitution to any economic change, there is nothing that can prevent those who wield powers to insert surreptitiously what is contained in their hidden agenda, which includes, among others, extending their terms or abolishing the term limits, in order to perpetuate themselves and the members of their political dynasty in uninterrupted monopoly of political powers. The people will not benefit when Chinese begin acquiring, using and exploiting our lands and other resources. It is China and other foreign powers that will stand to yield all the tremendous benefits.
Our country cannot afford all the expenses to effectuate a Charter Change. The Comelec alone requires no less than P14.2 billion only to run a nation-wide plebiscite. This huge amount can buy thousands of tons of rice to prepare for the impending food crisis. It can build thousands of homes for the millions of homeless urban and rural poor settlers. This money, when used prudently, can build hundreds of school houses for the education of our children. It can build rural health centers and basic medicines for our indigent patients. It can feed millions of the hungry, jobless and powerless poor. Yes, the money to be spent in tinkering with our fundamental law can be used to give aid and assistance during disasters and calamities.
Cha-cha will bring about more harm than good. Opening our economy to 100% foreign ownership is very dangerous to our national security. When the food industry, the transport systems, the supply chains, the power sector, the oil industry, the national grid (just as currently, the national grid is under the hands of NGCP, which is 40 percent owned by China) then the whole economy can be paralyzed by foreign power. Our government can be destabilized, and we can all be controlled by a superpower like China, USA or Russia. This scenario is anathema to all the elements of democracy and independence.
Lastly, any Cha-cha shall distract the Filipinos from the true problems that are more pressing, urgent and critical. The problem is escalating poverty, increasing social injustice, the grave, imminent and impending food crisis, the widespread destruction of our environment, worsening crimes and drug crisis and threats to national security and integrity of our Philippine territories. The Cha-cha cannot solve any of these problems. On the contrary, the Cha-cha shall exacerbate some or all of our critical challenges.
The truly thinking, mature and nationalistic Filipinos are bound to oppose, reject and fight against any attempt to repair what is not a broken fundamental law. What we need to eliminate, discard and throw away are the treacherous politicians who want to fool all the people once again. Let us make sure that they cannot and shall not succeed.