Top Philippine court hears arguments on plebiscite

MANILA, Sep 26 (Reuters) The Philippines' Supreme Court heard arguments today for a plebiscite to adopt a parliamentary form of government, a move critics say is an attempt by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stay in power.

Government lawyers asked the 15-member court to reverse a decision by the election commission to dismiss a petition by the ''Sigaw ng Bayan'' (Call of the People) group to amend the 1987 constitution.

Lawyers arguing for the petition told the court today supporters of the move have collected 6.3 million verified signatures, well above the required 12 per cent of the 43 million voting population.

Under the plan, the country would vote on converting the bicameral US-style Philippine congress into a unicameral parliamentary assembly. The president and the prime minister would share power for three years but after 2010, the prime minister would be head of government.

Critics say the move is an attempt by Arroyo to hide her government's shortcomings and enable her to stay in power after 2010, when she finishes her last term as president.

''The real agenda is collapsing the entire congress into a rubber-stamp interim parliament headed by a powerless prime minister under the pleasure of Mrs Arroyo,'' said former president Joseph Estrada in a statement sent to the Supreme Court.

Estrada, ousted in 2001 and replaced by Arroyo who was then vice-president, is under house arrest on charges of plunder.

But Arroyo's supporters say the move will remove a deadlock in the legislature between the Senate and the House of Representatives and allow for faster implementation of policies.

Eduardo Nachura, the government's chief lawyer, argued the Arroyo administration was sympathetic to the petition to amend the constitution through a people's initiative because of the failure of Congress to enact changes for almost 10 years.

''It's hopeless to change the charter in Congress, so we're going to the High Court as a last resort,'' Nachura said.

He asked the court to ''revisit'' a decision made in 1997 to stop a similar initiative, saying the petition was not an effort to ''supplant the constitution'' and amended only two of 17 articles of the 1987 charter.

A verdict is likely before November 1. If the verdict supports a plebiscite, the vote could be held as early as January.

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