Who’s who in ConCom

With a lot of push from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her main support-base, the House of Representatives, Charter-change has become a permanent fixture in media the past weeks.

Reportage on the Cha-cha focused on the personalities in and reactions to the appointment of members of the Consultative Commission (Con-Com) by President Arroyo.

A creation of Executive Order 452, the ConCom is tasked to propose amendments and revisions to the 1987 Constitution.

Mainstream media have been very stingy in providing background information on the appointed ConCom members, except perhaps for former University of the Philippines president and long-time federalism advocate Jose V. Abueva.

Fears have been raised that the Con-Com might just serve the President’s interests since its members are her appointees. But Manila Standard Today columnist Atty. Ritalinda V. Jimeno said: “The men and women of the ConCom, some of whom are members of academe, practicing lawyers, business executives and statesmen, are all with respective successful careers, with integrity and independence of mind. They deserve some credit. Their task, after all, offers no fame, fortune or glory (“Out of the Box,” October 15).” Jimeno, the president of the Philippine Bar Association, is a ConCom member.

Given the persistent doubts about the ConCom membership, the least that the press should have done was to give the public information about the members of the commission.

Only the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) blog consistently wrote about the ConCom members and supplied a brief background of the President’s choices. The center also provided additional information links of a number of ConCom members.

Star columnists-turned-ConCom members

Three columnists of The Philippine Star — Alexander Magno, Carmen Pedrosa, and Jarius Bondoc – were among those appointed to the Con-Com. They still write columns for the paper which raises a conflict-of-interest concern. Now wearing two hats, will they write about Cha-cha and use their space to defend their stand? As political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the President, can they still write objectively about President Arroyo and the issues that hound her administration? How can the Star assure the public of its impartiality and fairness vis a vis the Chacha and ConCom coverage if its current stable of columnists includes members of the commission?

Unexpectedly, it was another Star columnist, lawyer Jose C. Sison, who pointed this out. Apologizing to his “colleagues in media, particularly in The Philippine Star, whom I hold in high esteem,” he said, “(but) joining the Con Com somehow jeopardizes their objectivity and independence (October 15).”

Sison explained that the “press has been aptly dubbed as the Fourth Estate precisely because it is supposed to be impartial, free and a separate ‘branch’. Thus, its members are not expected ‘to jump into bed with government’ to borrow the expression of my favorite ex-Senator Rene Saguisag.”

Comments are closed.