CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS PARAMOUNT

With the Supreme Court declaring President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR) as unconstitutional, Senator Richard J. Gordon stated that “this shows that the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, is paramount to the exercise of the powers of the Executive in protecting her Administration.”

“The Constitution cannot be trifled with. The President must be more circumspect in the exercise of her Executive powers. She should not experiment with the people’s rights which are inherent in the Constitution,” said Gordon.

“The CPR has undeniably disrupted our democratic way of life in our country, and in effect, adversely affected tourism, business, and investments,” added Gordon.

Gordon who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws observed that the series of acts of the President, including Executive Order No. 464, Presidential Proclamation No. 1017, and the aggressive moves towards Charter Change, have all “weakened our constitution and our democracy to the detriment of our country.”

“We need to break this destructive pattern in order to move forward. We need to respect our Constitution and strengthen our democracy by first and foremost guaranteeing the constitutional rights of our people,” said Gordon.