House and Senate at an ‘impasse’ after senators take exception with loyalty pledge

MANILA, Philippines — Despite pronouncements of a “ceasefire” between the two chambers of Congress, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate continue to engage in a word war following the lower chamber’s adoption of a resolution upholding its honor and integrity against the “intense assault” from the Senate.

On Tuesday, House Senior Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales defended the recently passed House Resolution 156, which expresses the lawmakers’ support for House Speaker Martin Romualdez after senators supposedly violated the principle of inter-parliamentary courtesy and interfered with the House’s affairs.

In January, Senate publicly opposed the ongoing signature drive for the People's Initiative (PI) campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution and some of its members have accused the House, including Romualdez, of orchestrating and funding the initiative. 

Tensions escalated when Sen. Imee Marcos named Romualdez as the mastermind behind the PI initiative, accusing him of offering a P20 million reward for district representatives that can clinch enough signatures.

While Romualdez has repeatedly denied this, he has also admitted to taking on an “advisory” role for proponents of the PI campaign led by the pro-Chacha group PIRMA. 

RELATED: Romualdez sidesteps allegation he ordered People's Initiative signature drive |  PIRMA confirms coordinating with Romualdez for People's Initiative signatures 

Since then, Romualdez has reached out to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to express the House’s willingness to work with senators in passing a Senate resolution that focuses on amending the economic provisions of the Charter. 

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri — who last week claimed that the two chambers of Congress were now in a “ceasefire” after trading barbs on the PI campaign — said during Monday’s plenary session that the House and the Senate are now, again, at odds. 

Sens. Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva similarly took offense at the House resolution, with Estrada saying that he believes the resolution is an “affront to the Senate as an institution.” 

“How do we end this, I do not know,  this impasse between the House of Representatives and the Senate?” Zubiri said, adding that his office remains open to the House speaker.

Gonzales said on Tuesday that the House “(does) not want a word war” and had sought to “temper” the anger of lawmakers by way of a House resolution expressing their collective stance.

“The congressmen just expressed their position towards the attack on our Speaker and our institution,” Gonzales said in a mix of English and Filipino at a press conference.

Gonzales said that the lower chamber needed to express its stance as one to defend its “dignity… from attacks and wrong accusations by senators on the people’s initiative.”

“(Romualdez) said the House leadership is open to any necessary dialogue with our colleagues in the Senate. We consider them as partners in nation-building so we are shocked by what they did to us,” Gonzales said.

Marcos, who is leading the Senate inquiry on the PI campaign, said on Tuesday that the House resolution in defense of Romualdez is indicative of tensions within the lower chamber itself.

“Sa haba ng panahon na nasa pulitika kami, pag nagkakaroon ng protestations of loyalty, may problema. Bakit nagkaka ganito? Talagang may kaunting gulo. Ayusin na natin,” Marcos said.

(For as long as we have been in politics, when there are protestations of loyalty, there is a problem. Why is this happening? There really is a bit of a mess.)

During the press conference, House leaders also urged the Senate to press on with the passage of Resolution of Both Houses 6, which amends certain foreign ownership restrictions in the Charter.

Rep. Geraldine Roman (Bataan, 1st District) stressed that the ball is now in the Senate’s hands to approve RBH 6.

“Senate President Migz Zubiri said himself that before Holy Week, this will be acted on. We are taken aback and surprised that all of a sudden Sen. Angara said it will be concluded in October instead,” Roman said.

“If the deliberations will reach until October, it’s like literally killing this bill unless of course that is the real intent,” Roman added.

The lawmaker added that the situation between the two chambers of Congress has become “really uncomfortable.” 

“Where have you seen the Upper House and Lower House fighting? It all boils down to one thing: there is a need to amend the Constitution,” Roman said.