Sotto defends ‘hybrid’ body for faster Cha-cha
Senate President Vicente Sotto III defended against criticisms his idea of a “hybrid” constitutional body to tackle the proposed changes to the 1987 Constitution.
Sotto, in a series of tweets Friday night, slammed those who chided his proposal to create a body composed of 12 senators, 12 members of the House of Representatives, 12 nominees from the President, and 12 nominees from various sectors — a fusion of a Constitutional Assembly (Con-Ass) and a Constitutional Convention (Con-con).
He clarified that the hybrid body shall be created to look through the recommendations of the Consultative Committee (Con-com), to fast track the discussion of Congress during the planned Con-Ass for the proposed Charter change (Cha-cha).
“Hybrid meet is to facilitate discussions on the Puno Commission submissions. To easily decide what to discuss in the Constituent Assembly which is only one of two ways of changing the Constitution,” Sotto said, referring to former Supreme Court chief justice and Con-Com chairman Reynato Puno.
“Ang dami talagang akala magaling sila! Kaawaan sila ng Dios (There are indeed a lot of know-it-alls! God have mercy on them),” he posted on Twitter.
Sotto reiterated that he is not insisting on his suggestion. “Kung ayaw n’yo eh ‘di h[u] wag! Hehehe,” he said.
He, however, warned that it might take long for Congress to discuss Cha-cha without such proposed body.
“Anyone can suggest anything. This is a free country. The Puno Commission was tasked to submit a Cha-cha proposal. They submitted. Sino ngayon mag-didiscuss (Who will discuss this now)? Kaming lahat (All of us in Congress)? Sa 2023 na matatapos ‘yan (We might finish it in 2023)!” he tweeted.
Sotto, earlier, proposed the creation of the “hybrid” body to settle the possible deadlock on the manner of voting on Cha-cha.
But members of the House, particularly those from the opposition, hit Sotto’s idea and said it will be “unconstitutional.”
Congress will likely convene into a ConAss to revise the Constitution rather than a Con-con, which most lawmakers deemed expensive. The Senate and the House, however, have yet to resolve if they should vote jointly or separately on the amendments.
Meanwhile, the 22-man Con-com tasked to review the 1987 Constitution is expected to finish soon its draft charter for planned shift to a federal form of government.
It committed to submit to President Duterte its proposals early July, before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address on July 23.