Whether or not the Philippines should change its charter.

Whether or not the Philippines should change its charter.


Charter change is a very alarming issue that confronted the Filipinos nowadays. Is there really a need to change our constitution? I don’t think so. This issue solicited reactions from different sectors in society: from the Church, political arena, the rich, the middle class, the marginalized, academe and many others. This certainly affects us all Filipinos.

Is this the ultimate solution for our economic and political turmoil today? I don’t think so. Greed, hunger for power and money, selfishness from a lot of our politicians are root causes of the political breakdown in our country today. Many Filipinos don’t have confidence in the people running the government. A lot of politicians are driven by their self-interests or motives. What happened to our sense of Patriotism? What happened to the dreams of the many Filipino heroes who fought and died for the independence of this country?

Graft and corruption has been a cancer suffered in our society today. This is still untreated. It would take generations for this country to achieve a clean and dignified politics. But, we still have in us the hope and dreams for this country. We don’t need to change the charter as of this time. We need politicians running the government to change their hearts. I hope these politicians will be better stewards of authority.

There is no need to change the Philippine charter. I am not in favor of such a move. What is to be changed is the attitude of Filipinos toward politics. Granting, the Philippine charter will be changed but the political practice that we have right now remains unchanged, graft and corruption in government will never be eradicated. Even if we will change our form of government, if the people running the government still subscribe to the usual practice, nothing significant will happen to the future of our political world.

I believe that pursuing charter change at this time is not beneficial to the country, considering that majority of the politicians now in government wanted the change for furtherance of their political ambitions and interests. A change in our charter at this time is not conducive to our political and economic situation existing today. There are still a lot of pressing issues that our country is facing at the moment. Why would the Arroyo administration revive again the issue on Charter Change? Why now? Is it because her term is almost ending and she still wants to hold on to power? A lot of politicians are fighting for each other and it is as if they own this country. What a shame! This administration should just respect the will of the people.
From a viewpoint of a very ordinary citizen, I just hope that one day this country will eventually attain real peace and tranquility. I dream that one day, a lot of politicians will be true to their calling as public servants. We just need leaders who can be real mirrors of honesty, integrity, competence and real dedication for this country. Filipinos need to be vigilant. There is still HOPE for us Filipinos and for our country.