Martin asks Bato: What marching order?

Speaker Martin Romualdez denied Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s allegation that he had ordered House members to muster signatures to amend the Constitution through a People’s Initiative.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about. He does not mention any congressman, so I could not respond. I gave no (such) orders,” Romualdez said in an ambush interview on Monday at the House of Representatives.

Dela Rosa claimed the ongoing PI movement, including in Davao, had the Speaker’s imprimatur.

“That’s what a congressman told me. I won’t drop his name. He might be scolded,” Dela Rosa said in a press conference on Monday.

Dela Rosa said he only supports Charter amendments to relax its restrictive economic restrictions, not the “self-serving” term extension.

“Give others a chance. That’s why it came out in the Constitution (the fixed term) because it’s not good to perpetuate anyone in power,” said Dela Rosa in Filipino and English.

Last week, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who had expressed an aversion to cha-cha, vowed to resign from his post if constitutional amendments other than those pertaining to economic provisions are carried out.

Romualdez wants the Constitution amended to eliminate purported barriers to economic growth. “It is critical that we facilitate the entry of foreign capital and direct investments into our economy,” the House chief said Monday as the chamber came off a month-long recess.

House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe came to the defense of Romualdez amid the “baseless” allegations that he was the architect of the PI movement. “The House has been pushing this since 1987 and this has been an advocacy of the Speaker since he became a congressman and now as a Speaker,” he said.

“The Speaker has already expressed his support for the Resolution of Both Houses in the Senate under the leadership of Senate President Miguel Zubiri, so this is also the entire House leadership’s direction. We hope the Senate can approve this soon so that we can end all these baseless speculations,” Dalipe added.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Monday claimed there was a widespread signature-gathering campaign seeking to abolish the checks and balances in the government.

“Our constitutional law or the Philippine Constitution is the soul of our country. This is the foundation of our democracy,” he said. “That’s why it has been untouched for almost 40 years, our Constitution has remained untampered, changed or moved.”