House panel to resume voting on constitutional amendments

MANILA, Philippines - The House committee on constitutional amendments is set to resume voting this week on the mode of amending the 1987 Constitution just before Congress goes on Halloween break, panel chairman and southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado said yesterday.

A near-fistfight between Surigao Reps. Robert Ace Barbers and Prospero Pichay put the proceedings to a halt last Wednesday.  

“We will proceed with the voting before we adjourn this week because this is a very important proposal,” the senior administration lawmaker said.

But he said he hopes House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas no longer takes over his post, so the proceedings would go smoothly.  

Ilocos Norte Rep. Fariñas said last week he would take over the hearings on Charter change for Federalism, on which Mercado’s panel has been conducting hearings.

Fariñas said he and Mercado had agreed that he would take over the hearings even before the near-fistfight between Barbers and Pichay.

He said Mercado had asked him if he could give up the chairmanship of the committee on constitutional amendments and keep the post of deputy majority leader, which is equivalent to that of committee chairman. 

“So we talked to the Speaker and the Speaker decided that I take over the constitutional amendments committee,” Fariñas said. “He felt that since this is a big issue for us, I should be the one to defend it on the floor. Before the near-brawl between Barbers and Pichay, the committee had been debating on the motion of House Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu, recommending to the plenary the con-ass (constituent assembly) as mode of amending the Constitution.

During the hearing, Garcia and House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu of Batangas withdrew their respective bills that called for a constitutional convention (con-con), a process deemed a lot more expensive than a constituent assembly (con-ass).