Dancing With The Elites: Cha-Cha on the Floor
By Benedict Ballaran
Amid the declining performance of students in basic education, the dying agricultural sector, and the ballooning prices of basic commodities, the Congress dances to the tune of a Charter Change. Pointing fingers at the supposed flaws of the 1987 Constitution, the House of Representatives is making significant steps in hopes of swaying Filipinos to jive with them in their Cha-Cha whims. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. seems to have changed his tune as well, initially downplaying his priority but now has ordered research on the topic.
As Filipinos struggle to keep their heads above water, the government toys with the idea of tinkering with what is not broken. The boat is sinking, and their solution is not to patch up the hole — just change the oars that steer it.
It Takes Two To Tango
This was not the first time Filipinos were invited to dance along Cha-Cha. Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, and Duterte all made efforts to change the constitution with themes of term limits, liberalization, or federalism in the mix, all of which were thwarted. These attempts had failed to overcome their biggest hurdle — the public’s strong resistance against any constitutional reform.
Fortunately, the 1987 Constitution is equipped with stringent provisions before it can be revised or amended. The typical method employed by previous governments was through the People’s Initiative — a petition launched by the public, represented by 12% of current voters and 3% of each legislative district, proposing constitutional amendments.
The other two systems are the Constitutional Assembly, requiring separate majority votes from the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Constitutional Convention, where the amendments are convened by delegates elected by voters of each district.
In all of these methods, the weight of the people is equal to the powers of Congress. These measures ensure that neither the President nor Congress is beholden to unilaterally make changes to the highest law of the land without the consent of the governed.
However, the current government might gradually find success in wooing Filipinos to a Cha-Cha. According to a survey published by Pulse Asia in 2023, 41% of Filipinos agree to a Charter Change, a significant 10% increase from the previous year. This is despite 79% of Filipinos admitting they have little to no knowledge about the 1987 Constitution.
Dancing With People’s Hands Tied
After flexing its supermajority in 2023 with its approval of a constitutional convention bill, the House found itself in a deadlock with the Senate. The members of the Upper House were less enthusiastic about changing the Constitution at the time. But the Lower House was not deterred.
As 2024 approached, the House pounced on the people’s initiative to turn their constitutional dreams into reality. Alarms were raised by lawmakers after reports of bribery and misleading statements to garner people’s signatures on several districts spread. Rep. Edcel Lagman called out the Ako Bicol Party-list after it allegedly released funds to buy out voters’ signatures for P100 each.
Similarly, between the busy broadcast of media outlets’ coverage of the 2024 Traslacion, a primetime advertisement encouraging support for Cha-Cha premiered multiple times. With the catchphrase “EDSA-pwera,” the ad conveniently blamed the ills of the country on the 1987 Constitution and prescribed Cha-Cha as the remedy. Makabayan lawmakers were quick to file a resolution probing the funding that was used for these Cha-Cha moves.
The government has found a way to dance around the provisions of the 1987 Constitution. Thirsty for a constitutional overhaul, the House engages in a bait-and-switch — marred in a desperate move of bribery and propaganda to court unsuspecting voters on the dancefloor. As they repeatedly play the tune of Cha-Cha, it becomes an irresistible dance while not truly addressing the people’s hunger for genuine change. Yet, in a dance battle with the elites, the Filipinos always lose.
Lead on a Merry Dance
The country collapsed on the dance floor the last time the constitution was changed under Marcos. The economy contracted for two consecutive years in 1984 and 1985 stifling economic growth for the Philippines for decades. Yet, the proponents of Cha-Cha cite economic benefits for the Philippines should it push through with revisions.
Promising to amend only economic provisions, both houses file resolutions to change articles 12, 14, and 16 of the 1987 Constitution. If pushed through, this will lay Philippine public utilities, advertising, and educational institutions bare for foreigners to prey on. The proposed liberalization of the country’s economy hides under the guise of foreign direct investments (FDI), which is dominantly believed to be a key to national development.
Loosening restrictions only turn the Philippines into a sitting duck for foreign shooters to gun down. IBON Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa warns that should this plan of opening up certain sectors push through, the government must ensure it actually benefits the Philippines. He noted that the country’s gross domestic product already comprises 27 percent of foreign investments, yet it does not reflect even on the macro level. Easing restrictions on sectors to foreign powers will not ensure development but only expose the country’s vulnerability. Africa explains that there is a lack of a policy framework for FDI which is why figures do not reflect on the Philippine economy.
To change the charter means not only opening up economic prospects but also auctioning off the education sector. Alien control over the education sector is “a major threat to our national interests,” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers Chairman Vladimer Quetua. The already commercialized sector will face further commodification should it be introduced to foreign influence.
In a statement, Quetua expressed concern about the easing of foreign ownership of schools which he claims will “surely deepen further the colonial character of our education.” In a foreigner-led education system, the country could see its nation-building attempts crumble and subservient thinking will triumph. Lawmakers fear that opening up public services, especially the education sector, to foreign influence would result in the death of the nation’s patrimony.
As the elites continue to dance around Cha-Cha, Filipinos are left in the dark. The government looks away while the people struggle in the educational, agricultural, and economic crises, and proposes to put the Philippines up for bidding for foreign investors.
The calls of the people for genuine change must be heeded by the government, not drowned in the noise of a charter change. Instead of dancing cheek to cheek with their foreign masters, the government should learn to synchronize with the true needs of Filipinos attentively. Cha-Cha is not what the people need, they need the government to lead the ensemble to address the current problems plaguing the country.
With multiple revisions since the birth of Philippine independence, one might wonder whether the constitution truly is the problem. For as long as the government continues to dance with its two left feet, the Philippines will continue to stumble toward genuine national development.
