DAGUPAN CITY - Vice President Noli de Castro will enjoy more powers than what he is enjoying right now as soon as the interim unicameral parliament opens.

This was revealed recently by House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. squelching reports that the Vice President would have no role in the unicameral parliamentary government to be set up soon in place of the bicameral presidential government.

He told newsmen in an interview at his residence here that on the contrary, the position of Vice President de Castro will be upgraded under the new set up.

De Venecia explained that the term of Vice President de Castro, together with that of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, will continue up to June 2010 under the unicameral parliamentary government initially using the unified French parliamentary model.

“At the same time, I confirm he (Vice President de Castro) will have a seat in the interim parliament and at the same ime, he’ll have a cabinet ministry to handle,” de Venecia stressed.

He also said that Vice President de Castro will preside at the opening of the interim parliament, explaining that it will not be the Speaker who will preside, “but the Vice President.”

But he said Vice President de Castro’s term, together with that of President Arroyo’s, will come to an end after 2010 and then, there is no more Vice President after that.

He stressed that Vice President de Castro will be a member of parliament with specific responsibilities, adding that the powers of the latter, together with President Arroyo’s were already technically defined.

Vice President de Castro holds the position of coordinator on housing with a cabinet rank but technically, in the strict sense of the word, he does not have a cabinet post, de Venecia explained.

Branding as pure and simple intrigues certain reports that he feels insecure on de Castro, de Venecia retorted by saying that he is the one creating “all these beautiful positions for him” in the interim parliament.

“We have a good deal of respect, we have a good working relationship with Noli de Castro,” de Venecia affirmed, denying that he has a clash with the Vice President.

Summing up all these, de Venecia said they have provided transitory provisions that were crafted and designated to give a dignified and honorable place in the sun for every one, where they would be most effective.

At the same time, de Venecia said, that upon the opening of the interim unicameral parliament, which he predicted to be sometime in July this year, the Senate and House of Representative would have been phased out.

Immediately after that, the members of the interim parliament - who are the incumbent members of the Senate and of the House, will elect among themselves the Speaker of the first unicameral parliament.

The Prime Minister will be the Chief Operating Officer of the government. He will be coordinating and in charge of the Cabinet.

Whereas, in the case of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, she will continue to be the chief executive with ‘fairly strong executive powers like French President Jacques Chirac’.

After 2010 when the term of the President and Vice President would have already expired, the interim parliament shifts to the modified British Westminster model, from the unified French parliamentary model.

Under the modified British Westminster model, the Prime Minister will be the chief executive, the power assumed by the incumbent President in the interim parliament using the unified French model.

It is modified (British Westminster parliament), explained de Venecia, because “unlike in the United Kingdom, we don’t have a Queen or in Thailand, a King.”

So, after 2010 the President - whoever he or she is - will welcome the head of state and the unifying symbol of the nation but largely a ceremonial president as the executive powers are exercised by the Prime Minister,” de Venecia further said.

Speaker de Venecia expressed confidence that the lone proposed amendment to the Constitution is approved in May this year and ratified by the people in June.

He said that more or less, by early July, the first free unicameral parliamentary government in the Philippines will convene.

“I used the word free because we used to have a parliamentary government before and a unicameral parliament under Prime Minister Cesar Virata who was quite good and respected. But unfortunately, it was not a free parliament because it was under martial law, under dictatorship,” he said.

Once the interim parliament begins, within 45 days from the ratification (of the approved amendment) the interim parliament will convene to further amend the Constitution, to take on the eight strategic amendments proposed by the ruling party Lakas-CMD which was backed by other political parties it had a coalition with.

Among these are the lifting of economic restrictions, putting an end to turncoatism, return to the two party system, lifting of term limits, subsidy to political parties, federalism and others. (PNA)