‘No enthusiasm for Cha-cha in House’

MANILA, Philippines - There is lack of enthusiasm at the House of Representatives to amend the Constitution to allow President Aquino to have a second term, a leader of the chamber said yesterday.

Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II issued the statement after Senate President Franklin Drilon said amending the political provisions of the Constitution to extend Aquino’s term is not a priority of the Senate.

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, a stalwart of the Liberal Party (LP) and one of the lawmakers pushing for a term extension for Aquino, was unfazed. He said he is ready to file his bill lifting the term limits of elected officials.

Gonzales said the House would be occupied with deliberations on the proposed P2.606-trillion national budget for 2015, the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), as well as the anti-political dynasty bill and the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 1, which seek to boost investments by easing the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

The proposed budget, anti-political dynasty bill and RBH 1 are being discussed in the plenary. The committee hearings for the BBL are set to start next week.

“We have a lot on our hands… most of all, nothing has been filed in the House for this political Cha-cha,” Gonzales told reporters.

“With so many important bills that we need to approve, it won’t be good for the country if our attention will be dissipated,” he added.

The House wants to approve the budget bill by October so it can be transmitted to the Senate.

Gonzales said RBH 1 could be passed within the year.

Meanwhile, Erice said there is still time for political Cha-cha once the LP supports the measure. He said deliberations on the proposal should start in October.

“If the President believes that he needs to continue the reforms, and I believe he will do everything through legal means to continue reforms, I think there’s no one in the party that will oppose that,” he said.

“Let’s see,” he said, when asked about the House leadership’s position on the issue.

“As long as the party has not discussed the matter in a caucus, anything can happen,” Erice said.