Senate to do solo Cha-cha

MANILA, Philippines — Senators are in favor of a proposal for the Senate to proceed on its own to amend the Constitution to preempt any attempt to abolish the chamber apparently coming from the House of Representatives.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson filed yesterday Senate Resolution 580, which seeks to convene the chamber into a constituent assembly (con-ass) to propose amendments to the Constitution separate from the House.

He said his resolution would avert a situation that would make the Senate irrelevant should the House insist on a con-ass in a joint session with the two chambers voting jointly.

Whatever proposed amendments that may come out in the Senate con-ass, they should be approved by a three-fourths vote of all members of the chamber, the resolution stated.

“The current maelstrom generated by the differing opinions on how these amendments to or revision of the Constitution should take place and the ambivalent political positioning of those favoring one or the other mode of effecting such change has caused bitter political bickering between and among our current political leaders in both houses of Congress,” Lacson said.

President Duterte and the PDP-Laban are reportedly favoring a unicameral or one-chamber legislature to be provided in the new Constitution if the administration’s Charter change (Cha-cha) campaign succeeds.

Senators have vowed to fight any attempt to abolish the chamber and will insist on separate voting of the two chambers if and when the con-ass pushes through.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto and Sens. Grace Poe and Juan Miguel Zubiri immediately asked to be co-authors of Lacson’s resolution.

Sotto said Filipinos themselves will oppose any attempt to abolish the Senate, given the high poll ratings obtained by the chamber and its members.

“The people can see and feel the kind of work we do. So what they’re planning will not be easy,” said Sotto who, along with Poe and Sens. Joseph Victor Ejercito and Sonny Angara, have been topping the latest senatorial polls.

Ejercito stressed that a bicameral legislature is essential to maintaining check and balance in the country’s democracy.

“In our political history, a bicameral legislature has also prevented the excessive exercise of power by the executive. While presidents might find it easier to control one house, it is more difficult to influence both chambers,” Ejercito said.

Poe said her colleagues are in agreement that any Charter change move should be tackled separately by the Senate and the House.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, president of PDP-Laban, insisted it was too early to conclude that the chamber will be abolished.

He said the PDP-Laban is studying several proposals on amending the Constitution, including a version “1.0” that may be the one cited as pushing for a unicameral system.

“Nothing has been written in stone. We just want to start the ‘debates and discussions’ about Charter change and federalism. Please be open to future versions 2.0 and higher,” Pimentel told reporters.

Meanwhile, amending the 31-year-old Constitution and shifting the country’s highly centralized presidential form of government into a federal one are the “holy grail” of the House under the leadership of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. 

Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, made this pronouncement during yesterday’s regular bi-monthly press briefing at the House media center. 

“According to the speech of the Speaker, the Holy Grail of the 17th Congress (2016 to 2019) is the amendment of the (1987) Constitution,” he told House reporters in a news conference, expressing confidence that amendments to the Charter may be done by March. 

“We already held consultations nationwide, and with experts like retired justices and (other) stakeholders. We already have the inputs. It’s just a matter of turning it over to them. Kayang kaya po namin iyan (We can do it),” Mercado insisted, referring to their original timeline. 

The senior administration lawmaker clarified, however, that it is no longer their problem if senators will constitute themselves into a con-ass, since the more important thing to them is they did their job. 

“If they will consult the people only now that’s their problem,” Mercado said in Filipino.

 As far as Mercado is concerned, there is no problem in proposing amendments to the primary law of the land, since the preamble, bill of rights and several others only need minor fine-tuning, except the article on the legislative department. 

“The article on the legislative department needs a lot of revision because of the proposal to make it unicameral and parliamentary,” the Visayan lawmaker pointed out, noting that federal states may also need regional centers that could do away with senators who are elected at large.  

Mercado said the constitutional amendments committee would take up the proposals today. 

“We will be discussing and approving the proposed amendments to the Constitution. We will give more importance to specific provisions. We can finish our work by March and include this by May in time for the barangay polls (or a plebiscite),” he said.  

“Let’s not pit the House against the Senate,” House Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez said.  

“It is important to set a timeline but we are responsible legislators. We will not present a piece of legislation that is half-baked,” the South Cotabato congressman said, reassuring the public that a shift to a federal system of government will not be done in haste. 

Alvarez earlier said there is no better time than now to shift to a federal system of government, especially since Duterte carries no hidden agenda in implementing radical reforms.

“This year, we will revise our Constitution for a shift to a federal form of government. Let us unite and support this,” he said, noting this is the best opportunity to likewise shift the perennially gridlocked bicameral Congress into a unicameral parliament.

Alvarez started the ball rolling to effect the change to federalism by moving for the convening of Congress into a con-ass to revise the Constitution. Getting the con-ass running has been a priority of the House leadership.  – Delon Porcalla

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