DESPITE all the talk that he is behind the people’s initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution, Speaker Martin Romualdez initially denied having anything to do with it, then later admitted that the proponents of the campaign sought his help and he only gave them advice, not money. He also assured that no public fund from the House of Representatives was used to bribe congressmen to deliver signed petitions for PI in their districts.
Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. lamented how the PI issue has sowed discord between the two houses of Congress, adding his administration is seeking simpler solutions to the constitutional amendment quandary.
The President said he has asked his executive secretary, Lucas Bersamin who is a former justice, and his presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, about the issue.
As Marcos had predicted, the Charter change move through PI did not only divide Congress but also drove a wedge among the people. The senators felt a collective blow in their chamber’s reputation when the PI backers sought to emasculate them through a provision on joint voting, in the thousands of forms being signed by voters nationwide and sent to the Commission on Elections for validation.
‘No more double talk and brickbats. The two chambers of Congress must work together if they are pushing constitutional amendments seriously.’
Members of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments closed ranks behind Speaker Romualdez to defend him from vilification by the senators. They said they will pass a resolution on Monday to formalize this defense.
They also expressed their indignation over the Senate’s alleged violation of the principle of interparliamentary courtesy in the ongoing conflict. They have the temerity to air this view even if – as the series of events proved to one and sundry – they were the ones who cast the first stone.
Presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos is sad that the flawed PI is destroying the Marcos family’s brand of service or legacy. “We were given the second chance [to return to politics]. Why waste it this way? This is not how the Marcoses work. These arguments waste [the Marcos family’s] political capital, so to speak,” said the senator who has obviously taken the side of the Dutertes in the feud between Bongbong Marcos and Digong Duterte.
President Marcos said the idea of unity in his administration, the call that swept him and Vice President Sara Duterte to power, is still strong and valid, despite the ongoing vitriolic exchanges. This statement takes the cake in the contest for not being forthright among our leaders today.
Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate would proceed with discussions on proposed economic amendments to the 1987 Constitution, after the President expressed doubt on the efficacy of the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution. He expressed the hope that this crisis will be averted soon, assuring the public that the senators will carefully study the options in maintaining checks and balances in the government.
What the Senate and the House should do is start right away hearings on the proposed Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 and work for its immediate passage. As Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe said, “You pass RBH 6, the people’s initiative will be dead in the water because everyone knows there can never be two initiatives in the span of five years.” Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman has some sensible advice: “Let’s walk the talk. If you are serious about RBH 6, let us discuss it already. Let’s start the ball rolling.”
No more double talk and brickbats. The two chambers of Congress must work together if they are pushing constitutional amendments seriously.
