MANILA, Philippines — Administration lawmakers, under the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez in the House of Representatives, are hoping that an inter-parliamentary ceasefire the senators initiated will result in their promise to pass economic reforms in the 1987 Constitution.
House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe, Deputy Speaker David Suarez and Rep. LRay Villafuerte called on Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to honor his commitment to pass Resolution of Both Houses 6 (RBH6) by March, a self-imposed deadline.
This was reportedly Zubiri’s promise to President Marcos and Romualdez during a recent event in Malolos, Bulacan where they were guests at the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the first Philippine Republic.
“We hold them (Zubiri and the senators) to this commitment, which was even reported in the media. The House is just waiting for the Senate to approve RBH 6 so we can quickly adopt it,” Dalipe, who represents Zamboanga City, said.
He earlier vowed to “adopt in toto” the Senate version of RBH 6.
House leaders assured senators they will “embrace” and will have “no questions asked” to the Senate version of the economic only provisions that they wanted amended in the 37-year-old Constitution, if only to arrive at a starting point, since it’s been almost 40 years of stalemate.
Suarez expressed confidence Zubiri will be “true to his word” and jumpstart the discussions on RBH 6, and eventually rally the needed 18 votes for the resolution that would pave the way for amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
“We in the House believe that SP Zubiri will be true to his word and walk the talk in realizing his commitment to President Marcos to approve RBH 6 before the Holy Week break this year, which is by the end of March,” the Quezon province second district congressman said.
Villafuerte, for his part, called on their Senate counterparts to focus their energy instead on passing RBH 6 before Congress’ Holy Week break, that would finally give the green light to the bicameral push for amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.
“The Senate hearings on the people’s initiative process, initiated by private groups long yearning for Charter change, in which the House have surprisingly and unfortunately become the subject of the inquiry, contravene inter-parliamentary courtesy and reek of undue interference by members of one chamber in the official acts of legislators belonging to the other,” he said.
“In a bicameral setup such as the Philippine Congress, respect, civility and decorum among members of both chambers forbid legislators belonging to one body to be investigating those of the other,” the Camarines Sur congressman said.
“And more so when there is actually nothing to investigate about such peers. There is no room for such a breach in the spirit of bicameralism as members of the Senate and the House are co-equals in our national legislature,” Villafuerte stressed.
Con-ass possible if...
If there were to be a gentleman’s agreement among lawmakers, requiring three-fourths of the votes from both the Senate and the House of Representatives voting separately, a constituent assembly could be convened to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.
Gatchalian said that the two chambers do not have to convene physically.
However, Gatchalian was quick to clarify that his fellow senators might hold differing opinions on the issue. He emphasized the necessity of seeking clarification from legal luminaries and constitutional experts when the Senate commences its public hearing today on RBH 6.
“My personal opinion is that as long as there is an agreement, a gentleman’s agreement of 3/4 votes, voting separately and not physically convening, it can be done. Of course, our other colleagues might have a different opinion and that’s what we’ll ask from constitutionalists,” the senator said. “For me personally, if there is an agreement, there is a meeting of the minds, that’s what we do.”
In the sub-committee list of resource persons for today’s hearing are retired chief justices Hilario Davide Jr. and Renato Puno, former justices Antonio Carpio, Artemio Panganiban, Vicente Mendoza and Adolfo Azcuna, Philippine Judicial Academy Chancellor Rosmari Carandang, former Commission on Elections chairman Christian Monsod, former Comelec commissioner Rene Sarmiento and University of Asia and the Pacific professor Bernardo Villegas.
Other invited resource persons include Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Antonio Pido, National Scientist Raul Fabella, University of the Philippines School of Economics professor emeritus Gerardo Sicat, IBON Foundation executive director Sonny Africa, Foundation for Economic Freedom’s Gary Teves, and Ateneo Policy Center senior economist Ronald Mendoza.