More than 100 Bacolod residents blew whistles and rattled pipes at a noise barrage in front of the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City to oppose the convening of Congress into a constituent assembly at about 6 p.m. yesterday, while church bells rang.

The activity is part of a build-up to an anti-ConAss rally at the Bacolod public plaza tomorrow morning. A nationwide protest is set Wednesday.

At a program before the noise barrage, portions of a statement issued by the Diocese of Bacolod opposing ConAss were read to the crowd.

The Diocese of Bacolod strongly condemns the majority of the members of Congress who passed House Resolution 1109 that allows the convening of a Constituent Assembly, the statement said.

It called the moved deceptive, a betrayal of the people’s trust, illegal, shameful and immoral, and urged the people to oppose it.

Ralph Sarmiento, director of the University of Saint La Salle law school, who spoke at the program, said the move to convene a Constituent Assembly with both houses of congress voting as one is unconstitutional.

“Can we trust our congressmen to tinker with the Constitution?” he asked, stressing that it will be like opening Pandora’s Box.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan at the noise barrage brought a character depicting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who distributed money to barong clad “congressman” wearing masks of a pig to show, what its leaders called the “massive and shameless corruption the government”.

Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco said he respects the sentiments of those opposing ConAss, and everybody has a right to air their sentiments.

But he reiterated his call to anti-ConAss groups to avoid violence and to keep their protests peaceful.

“We call on all religious people of Negros to join in the nationwide march-rally and protest actions against Charter Change tomorrow,” Fr. Paul Medina, chairman of the Promotion of Church People’s Response-Negros Occidental, said in a press statement yesterday.

The votes of the congressmen who supported and approved HR 1109 were certainly unpatriotic and a mockery of the democratic rights of our people, he said. 

In a press statement, Kilusang Mayo Uno-Negros called the ConAss move of the House of Representatives the most scandalous and shameful act of congressmen.

“Congressmen belonging to the majority, especially Negros solons who voted in favor of ConAss, must be put in a shame list by Negrenses,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Speaker Prospero Nograles declared in a press statement yesterday that he would not convene a constituent assembly until the legal procedure has been threshed out.

"I am not going to convene anything," Nograles said when asked to comment on recent statements by some House members that the constituent assembly would be convened when Congress resumes session on July 27.

"Frankly, we are still in legal disagreement among ourselves as to the procedures to follow after the approval of Resolution 1109. I therefore need to clear the air as to legal procedure," he said.

Nograles said he will use the congressional recess to consult with House and Senate leaders and other sectors to get a clear picture of what to do next after the controversial approval of House Resolution 1109 which calls for the convening of a constituent assembly.

Instead of wasting their time creating monstrous traffic gridlocks because of their planned anti-charter change protests, Nograles said those who are questioning HB 1109 should just bring their case to the Supreme Court.*CPG

back to top