Erap's CONCORD prioritized economic reforms

Erap's Cha-Cha was all about economic reforms --NOT shifting from Presidential to Parliamentary-- but that was rejected by Cha cha opponents back then.

From Manilatimes:

After Joseph Estrada was elected president, he proposed to amend the Constitution on the grounds that its economic policies were “too inward-looking” and stymied the country’s efforts to become a magnet for foreign investments in the region.

Estrada’s information machinery even coined a catchy acronym for the effort—CONCORD (for Constitutional Correction and Development).

Alas, not even the Madison Avenue-style coinage could save the effort. Coming under heavy public flak, CONCORD—like most of the victims in Estrada’s movies, never had a chance. It was dead before it could even take off.

This was how Arroyo's lawyer, Antonio Carpio, described the cha cha attempts by Ramos and Estrada, when he was still writing for PDI back in June 10, 2001:

CHARTER change is an idea whose time has finally come. Two past presidents attempted to tinker with the Constitution. One tried to extend his term of office while another, in cahoots with his cronies, tried to sell off the national patrimony to foreigners. Both failed miserably.

This time, the driving force behind charter change is not the President but a powerful confluence of events. Charter change may even be against the interest of the incumbent President. The logic of charter change at this time, however, is so compelling that ignoring it can lead to a national disaster.

This Arroyo version of Charter Change is definitely NOT against the interest of the fake president.

And justice Carpio's proposals were very modest back then, compared to what is being pushed today, and the "pie-in-the-sky" promises being peddled by Sigaw ng Bayan jackals.

• 1) Amending the fixed and permanent definition of the national territory in our Constitution.


• 2) Amendment to the present Constitution to "regionalization" the Senate.


• 3) Instituting the rule of the majority by requiring a run-off in presidential elections if no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast.

Here are my views naman on what should be amended.

Dean Jorge Bocobo supports amending the "nationalist" economic provisions:

Btw, I find it naive to think that the ONLY reason some people are pushing chacha is to keep GMA in power. Granted it would have that effect, but there are others like me who though we see and oppose that, still believe that the 1987 charter is a seriously flawed, even sophomorically flawed document created by the likes of Davide and other judicial activists and theocrats, to please both the Leftists and the Rightists of their era. There are "nationalist" economic provisions that need amending because they are not in fact "patriotic".

The Makati Business Club supports those changes too.

• The President’s and Vice President’s term be limited to four years, with one re-election allowed as in the past.


• The President and Vice President should come from the same party.


• Revert to the two party system and pass measures that will penalize turncoatism.


• If a multiparty system is maintained, then a run-off election for President and Vice President must be provided when none of the candidates achieve a clear majority.


• The provisions or restrictions on economic activities should be removed from the Constitution and made a matter of law that Congress can amend, revise or repeal as the need arises to meet changing conditions and global competition.

I guess the reason Erap's CONCORD failed was because the one pushing it has some serious credibility problems.