13 January 2008
LEGAZPI CITY—ANOTHER agenda for Charter change has emerged from Norberto Gonzales, national security adviser, who proposed here that Cha-cha be used to dissolve the Commission on Elections.
In his visit to Bicol Thursday, Gonzales said he wants the “heavily-tainted” Comelec dissolved through Charter change.
“The Comelec has become irreparable. It has to be (replaced),” he said in a press conference.
Gonzales came here to meet with regional directors from various agencies to discuss government corruption and national security.
He added that despite the misgivings of some critics on the idea of Charter change, he is confident that President Macapagal-Arroyo will not use it to seek an extension of term.
Gonzales said a viable option for electoral reform is through Charter change.
“We cannot abolish the Comelec now because it is a constitutional body but there is a need to replace it,” he said.
The Comelec’s credibility is expected to be under public scrutiny again as the 2010 presidential elections approaches.
Asked on what office could possibly take Comelec’s functions, he said he thinks the judiciary can handle the country’s elections better.
He said the Comelec is one of the reasons many of those who have not really won elections are holding elective positions today.
Gonzales said Ms Arroyo does not share his view on electoral reforms through Cha-cha, but that the President believes Cha-cha was good for the country.
Talk of Charter change surfaced again as negotiations for a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front remain stalled. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
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