Charter change: ‘Gone with the wind?’

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has barely two years left in his term. And we are certain that one big promise he made during the 2016 presidential election campaign that he would likely fail to deliver is the change of the country’s charter that includes the form of government. The President wanted a Federal system; a Charter that would ban political dynasty even without Congress passing an enabling legislation.

Yes, during the first few months of the President in Malacañang, he was bullish about his charter change efforts. He even constituted a Constitutional Commission to draft a new charter that was later submitted to Congress for review and consideration.

Of course the members of the 2-House legislative body were not hesitant to show their coolness to the submitted draft even as they manifested overtly their opposition on one provision in the proposed new constitution --- the ban on political dynasty. They sat on the Commission’s draft and instead submitted theirs which understandably suits their own political interest.

Intriguingly too, from then on, the President himself also seemingly lost his aggressiveness to pursue his charter change commitment. Talks about the change which used to dominate the front page of national broadsheets and lead stories in broadcast news slowly vanished.

From the looks of it, the President seems to be slowly realizing the futility of his efforts to pursue his desire for a constitutional change. Clearly, he is running out of time. And from his own tolerance, he knows he does not have moral ascendancy in forcing inclusion of one important provision in the new charter --- the ban on political dynasty.

We believe however, that the President still has time to have certain provisions in the present charter amended so that the fundamental law of the land can keep abreast with the needs of the times, especially the requirements of a fast changing global economic and political environment.

The only possible major hurdle for the President to work for amendments of the existing charter is the distraction brought about by the many disastrous incidents that badger his administration’s remaining two years.

How his administration handles the responses necessary to mitigate the impact of the series of disasters lately will probably be the acid test of the President’s capability to deliver on his other promises.

*********************** Davao City’s economy these days is somehow being forced on its knees by two disastrous phenomena that come almost at the same time.

We are referring to the onset of the corona virus 2019 or COVID19, and the African Swine Fever (ASF) that came to the Davao Region including some areas in Davao City at this time when many were thinking it was already gone in Luzon.

On the COVID19 the scare of its spread in the city has forced – and rightly so – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to cancel all major activities that are scheduled to be held during the 83rd Araw ng Dabaw celebration next month. Meaning, the usual parade of floats and people, concerts, games, beauty and brains pageants like Mutya ng Dabaw selection, and may be the ceremony for the awarding of this year’s Datu Bago awardees, will be done away with. The mayor finds it prudent to cancel these activities as this could be one effective measure to prevent transmission of the COVID19. After all, the earlier mentioned undertakings for the Araw festivity are expected to draw huge number of people who could be potential carriers of the scary illness. The same activities are known money makers for the city mainly because these draw a lot of tourists both local and foreign. Once these people converge in the city to attend any or all of the prior-mentioned “Araw” events they will be spending huge sum of money in the city. Yes, they will be splurging money for their hotel stay, food, souvenir items, transportation in roaming around the city, and may be for the booze. With the cancellation,