unicameral parliament. Instead, Arroyo allies mobilized a signature campaign
in an attempt to amend the charter through a “people’s initiative.” In October,
however, the Supreme Court ruled that the signature campaign had failed to
comply with constitutional requirements. In December the president’s con-
gressional allies tried another tack: they tried to get the House of Representatives
to approve a resolution to turn the House into a “constituent assembly”
that would amend the charter. But they backed off from this plan after threats
of popular opposition and loud protests from Catholic bishops. This was a vic-
tory for the anti-Arroyo factions of the political elite, which include former
Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada. It also was a triumph for middle-
class reformers who fear that the system being proposed would result in the
preservation of the power of traditional politicians, popularly known as “
trapos
”
(dish rag in Filipino).