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Thoughts on COD-ass

Nazaren School

June 10,2009

Is the issue opened by House Resolution 1109 only a political matter or has
it moral implications? If it is a purely political matter then the bishops have
nothing to sayar do about it. If it has moral implications then the bishops
should speak out to guide the faithful.

When is a matter purely a political question without moral implications?

When either side of the issue being dealt with is a-moral, that is, not a matter
of right or wrong, but just a matter of one's preference, for example, whether
to name this street Rizal or Bonifacio. However, when the choice would
imply harm to the citizenry, there is already a matter between right or wrong,
this is already a moral issue. This is all the more true if a political decision
would cause long term suffering to many people, especially the defenseless,
or would bring about injustice.

Is the issue of having con-ass a matter of right or wrong or is it just a matter

of political preference? In itself, the Philippine Constitution allows both
modes of amending the constitution, that is, by constitutional assembly or
constitutional convention. This is purely a political matter. But there are
circumstances to our present case that have moral implications and
ramifications that we cannot simply say that this is a purely political matter.
It is a moral issue, and a very grave one. What are these circumstances?
1. The spirit of the constitution is not being followed. In fact the basic
law of the land is being bastardized.
A. the common understanding of congress as acting as two separate
houses is being denied. Of course the Supreme Court is the final
arbiter of this, but we have to admit that in our present situation the
justices in the Supreme Court are mere mortals who can also be
manipulated and unduly influenced.
B. the process by which the House Resolution was passed is very
suspect. We all witnessed how it was railroaded. It was figuratively
and literally a midnight deal!
C. in spite of all the denials of the executive branch, there is undue
pressure and manipulation of the members of the HOR by the
executive branch. All the talks about millions of money being
dangled and finally·given from the port barrel c;mnot be without
basis. Who distributes the port barrel but Malacanang? The palace

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is already lying when it says that it is all the decision of the Lower
House.
In short we say that there are manipulations here, and manipulation is
wrong. It is an ethical question.

2. We all witnessed the passage of the resolution with undue haste. What
could be the motive for the haste? We can surmise ...
A. The overt motive, according to the proponents is economic - to
open our lands and natural resources to foreign ownership to
make us more competitive in a global economy. This is not
what the foreign investors are asking for in order to invest in
the country. What they are asking is less corruption, more
infrastructures, less red tape and more political stability. It is
very unfair for Filipinos, especially our small fanners and
entrepreneurs, to be gobbled up by the money of foreigners.
This will lead to accumulation of wealth in the hands of the
powerful at the expense of the poor. This will be against the
principles of subsidiarity and equitable distribution of the goods
of creation.
B. The covert motive that is plain to all is the perpetuation to
power of the present rulers to avoid accountability to the
people. This is wrong. All the while this present government
has been avoiding accountability by discrediting whistle
blowers, by issuing EOs, extrajudicial killings and mysterious
disappearances, by influencing the legislature and the judiciary,
or by simply playing deaf and blind. There can be no justice
without accountability. Any motive to avoid justice is morally
wrong.

3. In a democracy we cannot allow ourselves to be complacent about our

elected officials or else they will take advantage oftheir position and hence
unjustly hold on to power by changing the rules of the game. They can thus
legitimize themselves under the cover of the "law" which they themselves
legislate. To be complacent in an impending evil is moral irresponsibility.
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As bishops we are shepherds of our flocks. As shepherds we have to be

vigilant that our flock is not taken advantaged of or being led astray. Our

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duty is to make our sheep good Christians. They cannot be good

Christians if they are not good citizens. In a democracy a mark of a good
citizen is active concern and participation in governance since the
government is from the people, by the people andfor the people. The call
to active non-violent protest in our present situation is called for. As
leaders we should see the writings on the wall. The active non-violent
protests should give a strong message to our present officials that we are
all watchful and we do not allow people to trample on our rights by
changing laws in their favor. We are asking not only for the right to vote
- because they can allow us to vote in a parliamentary form of
government. We are asking for the right to truth and accountability which
have long been denied us. We see the election of 20 10 as our hope to .
ferret out the truth from our present officials. When their term ends and
they are out of office then they can be asked to answer questions that they
have been dodging all this time.

Many times our present officials tell those they harass with'legal cases:
"face the music." Now it is their turn to face the music, and not change
the music in the middle of the dance. Our officials always say that they
are on the "rule of law". Now face the law, and not change it!

The constitution is the fundamental law of the land. It is a moral question

that it should be treated with respect and be amended with great
discretion for the sake of generations of Filipinos. We would not have
just laws if our fundamental law would be defective. I am not a lawyer,
much less a constitutionalist. I do know what needs to be amended in our
Constitution of 1987. Old as it may be but from a layman's point of view
our present constitution has some very good points that is the basis of our
various calls. It is expressedly pro-life. It is pro-land reform. It is pro­
poor and pro-Filipino. Precisely these are the issues that many people
what to do without in the name of conformity to our globalized world!
Let us be very careful in changing our constitution. We can end up with a
worse one, especially when done with such haste.

So we in the Church have been calling for Constitutional Convention

after 2010. After 2010, so that there be no suspicion of ulterior motives
such as term extensions. By Constitutional Convention, so that the proper
qualified people can be chosen for this most important task. It would be
very irresponsible for us bishops to close our eyes to allow our present
congressmen and women to tinker with the fundamental law of the land ­

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men and women whom we clearly see are not responsible, men and
women who are being driven by party concerns, and are even carried by
foreign pressures and not by the good of the Filipino people, especially
the poor.

A great disease that we see among our people is apathy for the good of
the nation, the lack of the sense of common good, selfishness hidden in
"mind-your-own-business-attitude". As moral and spiritual leaders of our
people we bishops and religious leaders have the duty to get our people
our of this cul de sac. It is a dead end road. Ifwe do not get out of this
apathy and cynicism our politicians will just take advantage of us and do
whatever they wish, anyway the people do not care or do not dare. We
will not only not get our people out of this dead end by not resolutely
acting now but we will further, as we are already doing, this attitude by
ourselves not being involved and speaking out clearly in our present
situation. Let us not be accused by Jesus our Good Shepherd that we have
allowed our sheep to stray and be scattered around by not being brave
enough and farsighted enough to call evil evil.