ROXAS: GLORIA FOREVER CONSTITUTION WILL GO
STRAIGHT TO COURT

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said the renewed efforts in the House of the Representatives to "go solo" and ram through with the "Gloria Forever Constitution" will go straight to court.

"Diretso iyan sa korte. May tiwala ako na ang ating mga mahistrado sa Korte Suprema ay magdedesisyon nang tama (It will go straight to court. I'm confident that our Supreme Court magistrates will exercise independence and make the correct ruling on the issue)," he said, amidst speculations the high bench is controlled by the government, with majority of its justices appointed by President Arroyo. "Hindi natin ito papayagan. Itong 'solo flight' ng House ay hindi sang-ayon sa Konstitusyon. At ayaw na ng mamamayan na lumampas ng kahit isang araw man lang ang pamumuno ni Gloria sa bansa. (We will not allow this. The House's 'solo flight' is not contemplated in the Constitution. And our people do not want Gloria to rule even a day in excess of her term)," he stressed.

The Visayan senator said any moves to amend the Constitution to extend the term of office of any public official, especially the President, will not pass in the Senate. And in the case that the House pushes through with constituent assembly on its own, he will actively join moves by the Senate to elevate the issue before the Supreme Court.

"Hindi kami sasama diyan. Baluktot na pamamaraan iyan para baguhin ang Saligang Batas sa ating bansa. Wala akong kakilalang abugado na alam ang kanyang trabaho na magsasabing legal ito (we senators will not participate in this because this is a wrong method to change the Charter. I do not know of any lawyer who knows his job and would say this is legal)," he said.

"Tinututulan ito ng ating mga kababayan. Wala itong makukuhang boto sa Senado. Hindi ito magtatagumpay (This is not acceptable to the people. This will not get any vote from the Senate. This will not succeed)," he added.

Roxas trusts that despite the machinations of the powerful and their minions to bend the law in their favor, the Filipino people would stand by the law.

"Subukan lang nilang gawin ang gusto nila, at haharapin nila ang taumbayan oras na kalikutin nila ang Saligang Batas at isangkalan ang demokrasya sa ating bansa (They could go ahead and do anything they want. But I warn them, the people will face up to them if they try to manipulate the Constitution and compromise our country's democracy)," he stressed.