Only 14 votes needed to bypass Senate on Charter change

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives need only 14 votes to bypass the Senate on Charter change (Cha-cha), Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson said yesterday.

“The entry of 32 additional party-list representatives has reduced the number of votes Cha-cha proponents still need to bypass the Senate from 22 to 14, assuming the 32 will support Cha-cha via con-ass (constituent assembly),” he said.

Joson, who is an independent and is against amending the Constitution at this time, said the entry of more administration allies in Congress “dilutes opposition to Cha-cha.”

“That is the effect of last week’s ruling of the Supreme Court allowing 32 additional party-list seats in the House. I don’t know if that is intended or not,” he stressed.

Joson pointed out that before the high court made the ruling, the total combined membership of the two chambers of Congress was 262 – 238 for the House and 24 for the Senate.

“Assuming that Cha-cha proponents are correct in claiming that they can bypass the Senate by obtaining a three-fourths vote of that combined membership, they need 197 votes or three-fourths of 262,” he said.

He said since 175 House members have signed the Cha-cha via con-ass resolution of Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, bypassing the Senate would still require an additional 22 votes.

“Now with the entry of 32 more party-list representatives, the combined membership increases to 294, three fourths of which is 221. If you add 32 to 175 signatures, you get 207, which is only 14 shy of the number they claim they need to ignore the senators,” he explained.

Joson, however, does not expect all 32 additional party-list representatives to support Cha-cha.

He said the two additional lawmakers from Bayan Muna and Anakpawis and the new representative of Kabataan, a group allied with Bayan Muna, would join the militant bloc of Rep. Satur Ocampo in opposing Cha-cha.

“But the expected attendance of five to eight administration senators in the envisioned con-ass will more than make up for this deficit,” he said.