Filipinos want change but don't trust Arroyo? WTF Why?

Many Filipinos believe their Nation鈧劉s constitution must be changed, but they do not trust President Gloria Arroyo to do the job, analysts say. Arroyo and her allies have done a bad job selling constitutional reform to the country, they argue. Many Filipinos see the campaign as simply an attempt by the president to extend her stay in office well after her term expires in 2010. 芒鈧揑 Dona鈧劉t think anyone denies the fact we must reform our constitution and the way our politicians are elected,芒鈧?Benjamin Tools, a political scientist with the Ateneo University, told AFP. 芒鈧揟he only problem is no one trusts the president to do it.芒鈧?For over a year now the question of charter change, known locally as 芒鈧揅ha-Cha芒鈧? has dominated much of the political debate in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian nation of 84 million people. Arroyo has strongly defended her position saying, a parliamentary form of government with one chamber would be more effective at enacting reforms and legislative programmes than the current method of governance. The country鈧劉s existing approach involves a US-style presidential system with a House of Representatives and Senate. The president has argued that the constitution is no longer attuned to the globalized, market-based economy, gives too much power to the judiciary and prevents foreign participation in key sectors. It also gives the president a single six-year term, which many see as the real reason for Arroyo鈧劉s push. 芒鈧揥hen the constitution was drafted in 1987, following the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, it was done with the intention of making it difficult to have another strong, one-man rule,芒鈧?said Cleo Calimbahin of the political science department at the University of Asia and Pacific. In recent months Arroyo and her allies in the House of Representatives have been forced to make a series of embarrassing U-turns in trying to get constitutional change off the ground. Last week she was forced to shelve plans for a Constitutional Assembly made up of House representatives due to fears of massive street protests organized by the dominant Catholic church and left-wing groups. Some commentators have suggested the real reason for canceling the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) summit in the central island of Cebu earlier this month had more to do with the political situation in Manila than with bad weather or threats of a terrorist attack. Last Sunday the powerful Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) went ahead with a planned rally against charter change. But the CBCP turned it into a 芒鈧揟hanksgiving Mass芒鈧? believing Arroyo would no longer go ahead with her plans to amend the constitution. The rally drew between 15,000 and 50,000, well short of the 500,000 the Church had hoped to draw. On Tuesday, Arroyo, in a speech to the Asian Development Bank, said constitutional change was not dead but back on the agenda. Arroyo did not elaborate what form or shape it will take. 芒鈧揝he says one thing and does another,芒鈧?Tools said. 芒鈧揃ut the problem we have in this country runs much deeper than trust of the president ... the people have lost faith in their political leaders right across the board.芒鈧?Clarita Carlos, a political scientist with the University of the Philippines, agreed: 芒鈧揟he people are physically and emotionally tired of politics ... hence the low turnout on Sunday.芒鈧?Opinion polls show Arroyo鈧劉s popularity at close to a nadir. One recent survey by the Social Weather Stations even showed eroding support in the central Philippines, one of her strongholds. 芒鈧揂rroyo has lost a great deal of credibility in the eyes of ordinary Filipinos. That is why they don芒鈧劉t trust her tinkering with the constitution,芒鈧?Carlos said. DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove...

she is the best thing that has ever happened to the philippines... just look at our investments there.. doubled last year..

A poor and corrupt place like the PI will never change so long as a Flip is in charge...the country needs an outside source to lead and make the necessary adjustments to benefit the people and the country.
beacause. that's been the way of filipinos here right?
maybe people should try not to mix religion, politics and government.... and the phillipines needs to educate more people and help people create their own businesses. maybe people need to relax and learn how to make money without annoying or hurting other people/ the environment so governments arnt needed as much.