Never again to a ConCon that can be manipulated

Mar 11, 2023 | Opinion, Razor's Edge

The House of Representatives, bent on legislating a bill that will call for a constitutional convention, is giving mixed signals. Are they hiding the real intention?

The speaker of the House said on March 6 that the lower house aims to limit its Charter amendments to the “restrictive” economic provisions of the basic law “in the hope that the changes would pave the way for the country to attract more foreign investments.”

But who can be elected or appointed as delegates? Earlier on March 1, the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments voted down a motion that elected and appointed delegates “must not be related within the fourth degree by blood or affinity to any incumbent local and national elected officials,” proposed by Cavite congressman Roy Loyola. In a shameless vote as if the nation was not watching, parents, children, nephews or nieces, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren of incumbent national and local government officials may be elected or appointed as delegates to the hybrid constitutional convention.

Unashamed Antonio Albano of Isabela reasoned that prohibiting relatives and family members of sitting national officials will “diminish the quality” of delegates. It is a classic example of how pork-fattened congressmen see themselves as God’s gift to the Filipino people.

So is it really the “restrictive economic provisions” of the 1987 Constitution that will be amended? The word from the House is not. On March 8, Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo let the cat out of the bag: no one can stop delegates from introducing political amendments, including lifting the term limits of elected officials. So there.

But of course, it can demarcate the scope of amendments if it wants to in the enabling bill.

Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos did the most brazenly scandalous way to lift term limits: bribery.

It is time to recall the muck that the Conjugal Dictators made out of the 1971 Constitutional Convention.

Let the ghost of the valiant Eduardo Quintero provide the déjà vu that will shape the public opinion of the ultimate judges, us the Filipino public, whose verdict will decide if constitutional amendments are what we need.

Quintero was a 1971 ConCon delegate of Leyte’s 1st district who shocked the nation with the exposé that a money lobby was bankrolled by the Conjugal Dictators to sway delegates to approve provisions that will extend the Marcos hold on power. He was personally told by bagmen that the money was coming from Imelda Marcos. Ferdinand Marcos maneuvered himself out of the scandal by shaming the 72-year-old Quintero, that the delegate had hidden more than P300,000 in cash – in an unlocked cabinet in his Manila residence. Marcos wove the canard that Quintero was paid by the political opposition to say there was bribery from the Palace.

Quintero’s affidavit included a detailed list of the payolas. The following list is long but it is exhibitive of the bribery’s magnitude orchestrated by the dictator couple.

    1. Amount No. 1. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me at the Manila Hotel on March 19, 1971, by Delegate Gabriel Yñiguez. He later made me understand it came from the First Lady.
    2. Amount No. 2. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was received from the office of Representative Nicanor Yñiguez of Southern Leyte on April 22, 1971.
    3. Amount No. 3. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was received from Mrs. Paz Mate (wife of Congressman Artemio Mate of Leyte) in May 1971. She told me that other delegates from Leyte were being given the same amount of money by the First Lady.
    4. Amount No. 4. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was received in the house of Congressman Marcelino Veloso on June 2, 1971 from Delegate Domingo Veloso at Bayview Hotel, Manila. Other envelopes were also given to other Samar-Leyte delegates.
    5. Amount No. 5. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Jaime Opinion on June 10, 1971 in the suite of Delegate Domingo Veloso at the Bayview Hotel, Manila. Other envelopes were also given to other Samar-Leyte delegates.
    6. Amount No. 6. P500.00 — The envelope containing this amount was handed to me by Delegate Domingo Veloso in the Convention Hall on June 23, 1971. He made me understand it came “from the same source.”
    7. Amount No. 7. P2,000.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Ramon Salazar on June 27, 1971, in the residence of Delegate Augusto Syjuco. Delegate Salazar told me that the First Lady met Samar-Leyte delegates that noon and since I was not in that meeting, the money was being sent to me.
    8. Amount No. 8. P200.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Domingo Veloso on June 28, 1971 during a party given by President and Mrs. Diosdado Macapagal for the delegates and their ladies. Delegate Veloso told me the money came from Delegate Augusto Syjuco.
    9. Amount No. 9. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Federico dela Plana at the Convention Hall on July 13, 1971.
    10. Amount No. 10. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was left inside my drawer in the Convention Hall on August 5, 1971 by Delegate Constantino Navarro, Jr. He said it came from Delegate Venancio Yaneza.
    11. Amount No. 11. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was placed on my desk under a piece of paper in the session hall on August 11, 1971 by Delegate Constantino Navarro, Jr. He said it came from Delegate Venancio Yaneza.
    12. Amount No. 12. P450.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Domingo Veloso on September 6, 1971. He said it came “from Imelda.” According to Delegate Veloso, Yniguez took from the envelope P50.00 for an unnamed delegate.
    13. Amount No. 13. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me on September 23, 1971 by Delegate Domingo Veloso near the men’s room. He said it came “from the First Lady.”
    14. Amount No. 14. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me on October 6, 1971 by Delegate Domingo Veloso near the office of the Sergeant-at-Arms. Two other delegates, Delegate Damian Aldaba and Delegate Antero Bongbong, received an envelope each that same afternoon.
    15. Amount No. 15. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Gabriel Yñiguez on December 2, 1971 at the entrance of the Oakroom.
    16. Amount No. 16. P1,000.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Gabriel Yñiguez on January 13, 1972. He said. “This is for the months of December and January.”
    17. Amount No. 17. P500.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me on March 7, 1972 by Delegate Flor Sagadal in the session hall. The envelope was covered by a piece of paper which Delegate Sagadal placed on my desk.
    18. Amount No. 18. P1,000.00 — The envelope containing the amount was handed to me by Delegate Damian Aldaba on May 8, 1972. He said it came from Delegate Gabriel Yñiguez.

Quintero ended his letter to the president of the ConCon: “In my privilege speech, I also said that in that same evening of January 6, 1972, after the dinner was over, when we were still inside the Malacañang grounds on our way to our cars, one of the delegates made this announcement: ‘The envelopes are ready. They will be distributed in a couple of days.’ There was sepulchral silence from the other delegates. The delegate who made that announcement was Delegate Casimiro Madarang of Cebu.”

It has happened in history. There is no reason it will not happen again under our porcine-rich legislators and a ruling family with wads of ill-gotten wealth. Now more than ever, it is dirty money that dictates the power of political dominion.

Mabuhay Eduardo Quintero (1900-1984)!