Tell Truth Behind Charter Change Drive: Church

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Ben Balce / 08 Apr) The Catholic Church on Saturday said it was not against Charter change, but the manner on how citizens were informed about this.

An independent group calling itself the Sigaw Ng Bayan is currently gathering signatures under the guise of the so-called people's initiatives and that Malakanyang openly supported this campaign to change the Constitution and shirt from presidential government to parliamentary system.

On Friday, the influential Catholic Bishop of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a pastoral letter voicing alarm over how government is conducting a signature drive for the people’s initiative for charter change.

It said the government did not inform the public about the provisions in the 1987 Constitution to be changed and the signatures drive in many cases never told the people what were they signing about.

“The Archdiocese is not really against the Charter Change. We recognized the effort of those politicians who wanted constitutional reform. We’re only questioning the process on how it being done," said Msgr. Rey Monsanto.

Many cause-oriented groups and opposition politicians have also started their anti-Charter change campaigns, including informal community forums that were marred with arrests by police. Anti-Arroyo groups said they would question Malakanyang's Charter change and people’s initiative before the Supreme Court.

“The issue is not the signatures gathered but how the signatures were gathered. In many areas, the signature campaign was done house to house, with residents told to sign just to get it over with," said CBCP's Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

Opposition senators said they would hold a nationwide anti-Charter change caravan after Holy Week. Monsanto said the Constitutional change must be based on the common good rather than on self-serving interests or the interests of some politicians or those who wanted to prolong their stay in power.

“The complications and differences of the presidential government and parliamentary system are not properly explained to our people. The Church is not meddling in politics, but is only guiding the Catholic flock," he said