Anti Constituent Assembly Rally

Paseo de Roxas Makati City Philippines, A number of crowds from different sector groups joined the June 10 Anti Constituent Assembly denouncing the initiative from the allies of the president to change the Constitution via Constituent Assembly.

Constituent assembly or "con-ass" is one of the three modes in which the Constitution of the Philippines could be amended or revised. The bicameral Philippine Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) is in a Constituent assembly mode when they formally convene to propose amendments or revisions to the constitution; and under Article XVII of the Constitution of the Philippines, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members. The process of amending or revising the constitution of the Philippines is popularly known to many Filipinos as Charter Change.

The Majority block of the congress passed House Resolution 1109 which seeks to convene lawmakers into a constituent assembly, even without the approval of the Senate.

There is a specific proposal that for the Philippines to be internationally competitive in attracting foreign investments and technology transfers that the economic provisions of the Constitution is proposed to be amended in an appropriate manner, but such specific proposal to amend the present Constitution cannot be formally presented and resolved until the mode for amending or revising the Constitution is convened and made operational through the application of Article XVII of the present Constitution.

Allies of the president re-iterate that the certain provision will not include the term extension of incumbent President and Vice-President Office of Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, and other elected officials whose term of office shall expire in 2010.

But majority of the protesters believed that this amendment will give way for term extension of the current administration and will transfer the mode of government from presidential to parliamentary making the current president Prime Minister.

Attendees were leaders and members of the United Opposition, BAYAN, Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (Women), Concerned Citizens Movement, Edsa 3 Coalition, Black and White Movement, Gabriela, and Kabataan, members of the Liberal Party, Change Politics, MyErap, Akbayan, Sanlakas, Artists Revolution, Pagbabago, Filipinos for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement, Movement for Good Governance, and Bangon Pilipinas.