FRENCH PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM UNPALATABLE TO FVR

MANILA, January 14, 2006 (STAR) By Paolo Romero - Former President Fidel Ramos prefers the British parliamentary system, which is headed by a prime minister and with no president, over the French model with a strong president that is championed by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

Yesterday, Ramos denied reports that he had dropped his call for President Arroyo to step down next year and push for a shift to a parliamentary system of government after a meeting with Mrs. Arroyo on Wednesday.

Ramos rejected De Venecia’s suggestion that the Philippines adopt the French parliamentary system of government, saying it is "almost a replica of the status quo here in the Philippines."

In a dinner meeting Wednesday, Ramos met with Mrs. Arroyo and De Venecia at Mrs. Arroyo’s Forbes Park residence in Makati City to thresh out their differences ahead of today’s high-level meeting of the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

Full Story

The backdoor negotiations are moving into high gear...