Fiddling While Rome Burns

In a time when everything seems to be in the verge of collapse, is now the proper time for new ChaCha talks?

I don't think so. House Speaker Prospero Nograles believes otherwise.

But if we are to believe Nograles, we shouldn't worry about term extensions. That is not part of the agenda, he says.

And as far as Juan Ponce Enrile is concerned, only the economic provisions of the Contitution should be changed.

I agree with JPE on this, but I still believe that now is not the time for a Constitutional revision - economic or otherwise.

Look, companies right now are not looking to invest. In fact, they are pulling out. Even if we open up our economy to foreign investors, I very much doubt if there will be takers of the opportunity to invest in an open Philippines. There are much more viable options as of the moment, China being the most feasible one.

So no. Now is not the time for Constitutional change talks. If Congress is really intent on keeping the economy afloat, it should implement statutes which should encourage growth from within, not without. 

Nograles should focus his energy on finding practical ways to pump-prime the economy right now. Talks of ChaCha or Con-Ass these days, especially if it is just used as a means for a term extension, is almost vulgar.  It's like fiddling while Rome burns. It's dancing Cha Cha while the Philippines is crumbling..

Photo: Diego Cosenza, Flickr, Creative Commons