SEN. Robin Padilla yesterday formally terminated public hearings on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, the proposal which seeks to introduce amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Padilla, chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, said the sub-committee that was created to spearhead public discussions on the proposed revisions has already completed its consultations.
The sub-panel was headed by former senator and now Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.
“I want to report to our people that I am terminating hearings on the resolution of both houses tackled by former senator Angara,” he said, adding: “We do not need to spend taxpayers’ money just to ask the same questions. We have repeatedly touched on the issue, but nothing has come out.”
Padilla said he will incorporate the findings and recommendations of the Angara panel into his committee report.
In terminating the hearings, Padilla said the “chicken and egg” issue of whether both houses of Congress should vote jointly or separately when tackling constitutional amendments remains unresolved.
He said this was the reason why he filed a petition before the Supreme Court to seek guidance on the matter.
“This is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. Any proposal filed in Congress will be useless because there is no answer whether both houses of Congress will vote jointly or separately. That is why I asked the Supreme Court for guidance,” he said.
RBH 6 seeks to ease foreign ownership in public utilities, higher education, and advertising in the 1987 Charter.
Last March, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, the counterpart measure of RBH 6.
