rammed from behind

House rams through Con-ass resolution.

Though there is slight comfort here:

Gabriel Claudio, Ms Arroyo’s political adviser, said he doubted that the House plenary debate on HR 1109 would affect the “certainty and inevitability” of the May 2010 elections.

“I think the leaders of the House and the proponents of Charter change are just being consistent. They have said that as far as the proposal for Con-ass is concerned, they are just after a trigger mechanism for a case to be filed before the Supreme Court so there could be a final interpretation on the manner of voting by Congress in a constituent assembly,” Claudio said at a briefing.

Rom over at Smoke.ph says get a grip:

“Disingenious,” some would holler! “This Resolution makes it possible for the feared amendments to be railroaded!”

Of course it does. But even assuming that the feared amendments – term extensions and such – are included in the final bill of proposals, that list will have to weather the inevitable challenge before the Supreme Court, making it therefore, far less than final.

Right, the Supreme Court. Well and good.

But Manolo Quezon tweets:

BTW word is the President will fill the vacant slots in Supreme Court this week.

STREEEEESSSS.

From Smoke.ph, again:

I’d like to hear what those [proposed amendments] are before pumping my fist and waving blood red banners in the streets, y’know? Hearing before you condemn – that’s the sort of thing they do in a democracy.

Yes. Well Congress better provide the public with all of the necessary information regarding these amendments, and not just blindside us, suddenly working double-time before Congress adjourns. Everybody knows the joys and tortures of cramming, but our lawmakers? In an issue that involves the Constitution?

Just look at what happened last night.

To speed up passage of the resolution, the House leadership cut short the interpellation period and limited to 5 minutes the speeches of lawmakers opposing the voting.

At 9:30 p.m., Shariff Kabunsuan Rep. Didagen Dilangalen suddenly moved to close the debate after only five of the 13 representatives lined up— Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora, Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo, Guingona, Maza and Golez—were able to speak out against HR 1109.

Dilangalen claimed that the arguments raised against HR 1109 were repetitive.

Doesn’t quite sound like “democracy” to me.

*bold typefaces in quoted texts are mine