PRESIDENT Arroyo’s open endorsement of a proposed joint resolution seeking a shift to a federal system has made it impossible for senators to pass the proposed measure, Sen. Richard Gordon said yesterday.

Gordon heads the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of laws which will hear Senate Resolution No. 10 authored by Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Gordon said senators are now scared that President Arroyo will hijack the proposed joint resolution to extend her term beyond 2010.

"Ginawa ito ni Pangulong (Manuel) Quezon, ni (Ferdinand) Marcos, puro na-extend ang term nila," he said.

Asked if he is convinced Arroyo would dare use the federal proposal to extend her term, Gordon readily said: "Yes."

Gordon is one of at least 15 signatories to the Pimentel resolution which calls for a constituent assembly to effect a shift to federal system, under which the country will be broken into 11 federal states.

The resolution needs 17 signatories to pass.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon withdrew his support last week. Senate President pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Panfilo Lacson have threatened to follow suit because of suspicions Arroyo would use it to stay in office beyond 2010.

Malacañang is saying it is supporting the resolution only to move the country toward federal setup which it said is the aspiration of Mindanaonons.

Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser on political affairs, said the support "is motivated by no other thought but peace in Mindanao through equal growth and development opportunities for all regions or prospective federal states."

Gordon said history would be repeated if President Arroyo is allowed to tinker with the Constitution even disguising it as a solution to winning peace in Mindanao, similar to what former presidents Manuel Quezon and Ferdinand Marcos did during their term.

Quezon and Marcos successfully effected Charter change and were able to win term extension.

Gordon also said the hearings on the Pimentel resolution will have to wait until his committee is done with other pending bills.

Gordon earlier said he will schedule hearings in the next two or three weeks out of respect for Pimentel.

Pimentel appealed to his colleagues to first wait for the hearings to be held before deciding on whether to abandon his resolution.

He said the hearings could answer all their apprehensions about his federal agenda. – Dennis Gadil and Jocelyn Montemayor