Meek Lambs

House Speaker Jose de Venecia was talking tough earlier. He insisted that the only way the country could progress was by changing the Constitution. And this could be done by transforming the legislature into a Con Ass or a Constituent Assembly to amend the country’s fundamental law.

De Venecia was not only tough as an ass, that hardworking beast of burden. He was roaring like a lion, the king of the jungle. But after the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, El Shaddai’s Mike Velarde, and other church leaders spoke against charter-change, the Pangasinan lawmaker known for his traditional politics became a meek lamb.

To save his face, he said he was not insensitive to public opinion so he and other like-minded traditional politicians would now give up on the Con Ass. And instead of Con Ass, De Venecia would agree to a Con Con or Constitutional Convention. But still, he wanted to have his Con Con as fast as he could by challenging the Senate to pass a resolution in 72 hours on 11 December calling for a Con Con. Stressing that the country had more urgent issues and problems to address such as the 2007 national budget, the Senators, however, did not bite his bait.

The public can now see through the motives of De Venecia and other like-minded politicians. Whether through Con Ass or through Con Con, De Venecia, et. al. and Malacañang are really bent on changing the Constitution. By changing the Constitution, the proponents were envisioning a unicameral form of government under which they could stay longer in power.

Then the Church spoke. Some bishops asserted the country’s problem is not the Constitution, but politicians themselves who don’t know how to govern. Church leaders pointed to corrupt governance as the main factor in dragging the country down. Bishop Socrates Villegas particularly cited the politicians’ insistence to change the Constitution as a “primary proof of corrupt governance.”

For the Church, the Constitution is sacred and politicians with self-serving ulterior motives should not toy with it.

To help save its own face for pushing for charter change, Malacañang (the presidential palace) hailed De Venecia’s “statesmanship” in throwing away the Malacañang-backed cha-cha bid via Con Ass. The presidential palace patted De Venecia’s back, appreciating how De Venecia did what he did for the sake of “national unity.” So the presidential palace would now want to paint De Venecia as a hero of some sort. If De Venecia could indeed become a hero in the public’s mind, the presidential palace could also be perceived not as a villain, but as a proponent of national unity.

But the public cannot be fooled. The public can now discern every word traditional politicians utter. For many, traditional politicians don’t mean what they say. So if they say they want to change the Constitution so the country can prosper, the public is not easily convinced. The public may have been fooled many times. But the public cannot be fooled all the time.