House wants Cha-cha dialogue with Senate

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Lenten break gab proposed to discuss deadlines

DEPUTY Speaker David Suarez of Quezon yesterday proposed a meeting between congressmen and senators during the Lenten break to discuss how to go about the two chambers’ separate resolutions proposing amendments to the “restrictive” economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Suarez said the congressmen and senators have to sit down to discuss the best course of action since the House is set to approve Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, its version of the Senate’s RBH No. 6, on the third and final reading tomorrow, the final session day before Congress goes on recess.

Both resolutions are proposing limited amendments to the economic provisions of the Charter related to the public service sector, education, and the advertising industry, which lawmakers said should be open to 100 percent foreign ownership to attract more investors and create more jobs for Filipinos.

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“It is important for us to work with the Senate on this so that we can limit the possible constitutional challenge RBH 6 and RBH 7 will face,” Suarez told a press conference. “We’re set to approve this (RBH 7) on the third and final reading on Wednesday and I hope that our counterparts in the Senate will find enough time in their hands to approve the same.”

Suarez said the House has to know when the Senate really intends to pass RBH No. 6, which is still being deliberated upon by the subcommittee of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, who has said that the discussions could take until October.

“Tayo patapos na so kinaikailangan lang po talaga natin malaman sa Senate kung kailan at kung anong buwan maipapasa nila ‘yung version nila (We’re almost done so we really have to know when and what month the Senate intends to pass their version),” he said.

Angara, in a message sent to reporters, said the Senate subcommittee’s discussions on RBH No. 6 will resume after the Lenten break.

“Yes, after na, because this week is for LEDAC bills like procurement reforms and others (Yes, it will resume after the Lenten break because this week is for LEDAC [Legislative Executive Advisory Council] bills like procurement reforms and others),” Angara said.

Angara had earlier said RBH No. 6 would likely be approved by senators in October.

The House leadership has adopted the mode proposed by the late constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas by passing RBH No. 7 like an ordinary bill but complying with the constitutional vote requirement of three-fourths. The Charter does not expressly say if the House and the Senate should vote jointly or separately on Charter change.

COMELEC

Suarez said the fastest route for the economic amendment proposals is “to get it approved and get it to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and have the plebiscite in the soonest time as possible.”

The Quezon lawmaker said the House expects the resolutions, if approved by the two chambers of Congress and sent to the Comelec for the scheduling of a plebiscite, to be questioned before the Supreme Court (SC), “that’s why it’s important for the leaderships of the House and the Senate to discuss to find which way is better.”

Asked whether it is possible that the House would send RBH No. 7 to the Comelec once it is approved on the third and final reading, Suarez said: “Everything is on the table, but I think the best route for us to take is to work with the Senate because we want to lessen any legal obstacle for RBH 6 and RBH 7 will eventually face.”

House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe wants the House to immediately send RBH No. 7 to the Comelec even without the Senate’s version, saying RBH No. 6 can eventually be sent to the poll body once approved by the upper house.

“So if we have three-fourths vote on RBH 7, and everything has been complied with in accordance to the Constitution, then my suggestion is we forward it to the Commission on Elections,” Dalipe told reporters. “That is my interpretation – that the House and the Senate will forward it to Comelec because, ultimately, it will be Comelec who will finally decide if it is up to be presented to the, to our voters in a plebiscite.”

Dalipe said that if the House and the Senate will vote separately, the three-fourths vote in the House is equivalent to 232 but if the two chambers will vote jointly, the requirement would be 250.

He said the House leadership is “very optimistic that the Senate will also have a three-fourths vote because it’s stated in the Constitution that a three-fourths vote of Congress (is the requirement).”

Angara said the House proposal to send RBH No. 7 to the Comelec is not within the correct legislative process.

“With due respect, I think the correct procedure in our bicameral system is to transmit any resolution or bills passed by either house to the other house. Similar to what they did with the previous resolutions, including those dealing with Charter change,” he said. – With Raymond Africa

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