By Neil A Alcober/Manila Times
Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday said “innovative reforms” in the government should be pursued but should never exceed the limits set by the Constitution.
“The Supreme Court ruling on the Disbursement Acceleration Programme (DAP) teaches us that while we must pursue crucially innovative reforms in government processes, we must at all times insure that these never stray beyond the boundaries that our Constitution defines,” Binay said during the turnover and induction ceremony of the Rotary Club of Makati on Friday night.
“Our Charter holds a mandate that transcends that of any elected official and stands supreme. It is not an obstacle to progress but instead, safeguards our participation in the most important affairs of the nation,” he added.
Binay said the origins of the present Constitution should not be forgotten as he recalled how President Corazon Aquino urged Filipinos to support the ratification of the Charter in the 1987 plebiscite.
“Our Constitution was the sovereign Filipino people’s first great step towards restoring a democratic rule of law after having suffered divisive wounds for over two decades,” he said.
“We believed then, as we believe now, that this Constitution would set the stage for each Filipino to reap the fruits of progress, to participate in his own rise from poverty to dignity, and to pave a road towards a peaceful and vibrant future,” the vice president added.“I also implore all of us to meet this moment with sobriety, resisting temptations to engage in speculation and to permit our legal processes to take their course,” he said.
“I am not dissuading our countrymen from exercising vigilance, as now is when all of us must show nothing less than the deepest concern for how this matter is resolved. It is however my earnest prayer that we not fall prey to emotion. Rather, let us weigh events with a sense of justice as we can muster,” he added.
“If there is anything that the DAP decision should remind us of, it is that the journey towards full transparency and accountability requires everyone’s fullest participation and devotion, now and always,” Binay said.
Jejomar Binay: keen on reforms staying within limits
