Opposing stands of the commission on the proposal to change the presidential form of government to the parliamentary system cropped up during a press conference held by nine members of the ConCom shortly before they conducted the last in a series of regional consultative meetings, this time, with Central Luzon officials and non-sectoral representatives at the Clark Museum Conference Hall here.

During the press conference, San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, vice chairman of the commission for Central Luzon, said that while many of its members were in favor of changing the presidential form of govermernt to parliamentary systems, others believe that the country is not yet prepared for it.

Some ConCom members, particularly Donald Dee, adopted the position that the proposed shift to parliamentary form of government should not be immediate and should have a transitory period of at least 10 years.

Some ConCom members present during the consultative meeting with some 400 Central Luzon officials and non-sectoral representatives also clarified reports that the commission was being pressured or influenced by certain groups, particularly Malacañang, "to preach to those who had been attending the consultative meetings the importance of the parliamentary form of government."

"What we have been doing was really to consult government officials and other concerned people on their views on the proposed change of our present system to parliamentary form of government," said Commissioner Levy P. Laus.

Laus, chairman of the ConCom committee on national economy and patrimony, said that some commissioners have consulted many officials and concerned citizens on the advantages and disadvantages of the present presidential and parliamentary forms of government.

He also said that many people consulted by the commission were not in favor of liberalization of national patrimony, an important issue in the consultations. Many local officials do not want to allow foreigners to own big real estates.

Laus added that all the views, ideas and comments they gathered in their consultative meetings would be compiled and summarized for recommendation to President Arroyo.

Those who presided over the regional consultative meeting were Commissioners Laus, Rodriguez, Dee, Emmanuel Y. Angales, Luz Emmanuel Soriano, Betty Lourdes Tabanda, Rita Linda Jimeno, Gonzalo Jurado, and Sergio Ortiz Jr.