The threat of "people power"

Speaker de Venecia's hasty retreat in pursuing constitutional change through a constituent assembly is proof that Filipinos have an appreciation of constitutionalism. The threat of another mass uprising against the Speaker's project apparently forced the administration to reconsider its actions. Persistent manifestations of "people power" in the recent past have led critics, mostly from the West, to claim that we have not yet matured politically. I have argued elsewhere that these uprisings are ways in which people enforce the principles that are enshrined in our Constitution.

Massing forces to challenge the Speaker's actions in the House of Representatives shows that Filipinos in fact want to defend their Constitution. Contrary to the critics' stand, Filipinos will not settle every dispute through popular uprisings, but are in fact guided by a respect for the fundamental law of the land.

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