House leaders file own Cha-cha measure
LEADERS of the House of Representatives on Monday filed Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 7, which aims to amend the same constitutional provisions listed in the Senate’s RBH 6.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David “Jayjay” Suarez, and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe filed the resolution.
In a press briefing on Monday, Dalipe said, “Those provisions that we placed here in [RBH 7] are the same provisions that the Senate filed with their” RBH 6.
“Para maalis na ‘yung pangamba, para maalis na ‘yung duda (To dispel fear, to dispel doubt), we are already adjusting to what economic provisions in the 1987 Constitutions” are in the Senate version, he said.
Gonzales said the only difference between the two resolutions is that RBH 7 does not have the words “Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled” before the “whereas” clauses of the resolution.
Both resolutions cover Article XII (Section 11), Article XIV (paragraph 2 of Section 4), and Article XVI (paragraph 2 of Section 11) of the Constitution.
The two resolutions add the words “unless otherwise provided by law” to the provisions and the word “basic” before the words “educational institutions” in the first sentence of paragraph 2, Section 4 of Article XIV.
Suarez said the authors of the resolution intend to “foster healthy debate and discussion.”
“We felt that it is also proper that the House will also conduct its own hearings. Iyon na rin naman po ‘yung mensahe ng ating Pangulo na dapat magkaroon ng (The President’s message
is to encourage) healthy debate and discussion about charter amendments,” he said.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. said that while the Senate has already filed RBH 6 and is conducting hearings, “as a co-equal partner in Congress, we are doing this so we can already also start in the House hearings, discussions on this matter.”
Dalipe said the House hearings have not been scheduled, “but we will try our best to really work double time on this.”
Before the filing of RBH 7, the House had said it was willing to adopt the Senate version of economic Cha-cha.
RBH 6 and 7 both call for a constituent assembly as the process for amending the Constitution.