A scandal as sensational as Hayden Kho’s sex videos was how Rep. Raymond Palatino of Kabataan partylist described what happened last night at the Batasan where Speaker Prospero Nograles and other Palaka congressmen, with marching orders from GMA, railroaded House Resolution 1109.

But without any intention to downplay or trivialize the abuse suffered by Hayden’s victims, I say it’s a scandal far worse. That is the only way I can describe what the administration lawmakers did to force Congress to convene into a constituent assembly (Con-ass) for charter change (Cha-cha).

I thought that the scandal caused by Hayden’s sex videos could not be outdone for a long time. But the scandal at the House was worse because Malacañang’s cabal did not have qualms doing their Cha-cha version of “Careless Whisper” on national TV, live. There was no “Hayden” camera. Unlike Katrina Halili and the other victims, Nograles and company were fully aware that cameras were shooting.

Pero hindi sila nahiya. At talagang hindi nahiya sa paghubad sa tunay nilang agenda.

Under interpellation, one of the sponsors admitted that the pledge made by HR 1109 not to extend the term of GMA, that the 2010 elections will push through, etc are not guaranteed commitments once the Con-ass starts its work.

May maitim talagang balak mula’t simula ang mga pasimuno ng HR 1109.

The resolution, which was still then un-numbered, was circulated in secret by its proponents to House members for their signatures. Over and over again, it was reported in the media then that the resolution already had a certain number of signatures but the public and anti-Cha-cha House members were clueless about its exact contents.

Then it became HR 1109 and was finally submitted to the House committee on constitutional amendments. There, it was never subjected to a debate, much less to a public consultation. As the minority members of the House noted during the rather brief interpellation of the resolution’s sponsors at the plenary, only three constitutional experts were invited as resource persons (who, by the way, all thumbed down HR 1109) and other stakeholders and social sectors were not invited. If my recollection of the plenary proceedings last night is right, the committee only had two hearings which together lasted for less than three hours.

Then it was rushed to the plenary, where the majority assured the minority that the debates would be held. But only about four hours into the interpellation, a motion was raised to stop the debates and hold a vote on HR 1109.

Apparently, nainip na sila sa sarili nilang moro-moro. The questions and points raised were futile, anyway, since at the end of the day, it’s a numbers game. Walden Bello repeatedly talked about intelligent discourse, fair play, etc that the majority is undermining with its motion to vote. But did Bello really expect a great debate?

I remember when GMA first openly advocated Cha-cha. She asked Congress (it was her SONA, I think) to start the “great debate”. To be sure, what happened at the House last night was anything but a great debate.

Itinago na sa publiko, iniratsada pa sa plenaryo itong HR 1109. Mga salbahe talaga.

But as we have proven time and again, what we can’t stop in Congress, we can stop in the streets.

Mayorya sila sa Batasan, tayo ang higit na malaking mayorya sa lansangan.