House open to providing separate voting in RBH 7 if Senate prioritizes Cha-cha, say solons

The House of Representatives will consider amending its Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 7 to expressly provide for separate voting on proposed economic amendments if the Senate agrees to prioritize economic Cha-cha (Charter change), three solons said Thursday.

“It is pride…of course the Senate would like to call itself a separate body. There is really no problem with that [having a provision for separate voting], if the Senate has adequate numbers. They should act with expediency because the intention of economic Cha-cha is flexibility, so the government can immediately respond to challenges,” House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin of Iloilo said in a press conference with Lanao del Sur lawmaker Zia Adiong and Quezon City representative Marvin Rillo, when asked if the House is amenable to amending RBH 7 given that the Senate’s counterpart economic Cha-cha RBH 6 explicitly states that the House and the Senate will vote separately on proposed constitutional amendments in a constitutional assembly (con-ass).

Both Resolutions seek to lift the 40% limit on foreign ownership in vital industries such as public utilities, education and advertising sectors.

“We will cross the bridge when it comes [to that point]. But this is something that we all members of the House and members of the Senate should sit down and work together on. But if the Senate will act promptly on economic Cha-cha, this [lack of separate voting provision] should not be a nuance,” Garin added.

Adiong, meanwhile, said the House’s consistent position that it is only after amending the economic provisions of the Constitution should already assure the senators that there is no ulterior motive on the part of the House.

“We have been consistent since Day 1. We have put privacy on discussions on economic Cha-cha, and you saw our seriousness in our commitment to the President. We want to translate that to action and fully embrace the possibility of improving the lives of Filipinos as we see fit,” Adiong said.

“We have no trouble with that [separate voting], pero dapat ipakita rin Senado na mabilis ang delivery ng commitment nila sa administrasyon na ito. I want to see the same expediency, the same primacy, and the same seriousness [in pursuing economic Cha-cha] from my colleagues in the other chamber,” he added, referring to Senate President Miguel Zubiri’s previous statement of leading economic Cha-cha efforts.

Rillo, for his part, said amending the RBH 7 at this point would be premature with the Senate yet to be on board economic Cha-cha.

“We will cross the bridge when we get there. Wala namang bagay na hindi napagkakasunduan, but let us do our part first, let the Senate do theirs by approving the amendments to the economic provision. Then, madali na pag-usapan iyong separate voting,” Rillo said.

(There is no such thing as something we can never agree on. Once they do their part, then it would be easy to talk about separate voting.)

The House Committee of the Whole approved RBH 7 on Wednesday via voice vote and is expected to hurdle second reading approval next week.

“The President is very clear that what he wants is just to revisit the economic provisions and no other. The RBH 7 Resolution is very, very clear and concise, we would only debate on, discuss on economic provisions. What what we have witnessed in the previous days and weeks is already enough evidence to dispel any rumors, apprehension that discussions would go beyond that,” Adiong added.

Faithful to Constitution

As this developed, Adiong justified RBH 7’s wordings by saying it is being faithful to the Constitution by stating the exact words of Article 17 Section 1 of the 1987 Charter, which reads, “Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by: the Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members.”

”The House is very, very cautious in the exact formulation on how Congress will vote once there is going to be a con-ass. Article 17, Section 1, does not say voting separately. The line we included in the RBH7 is reflective of the words from the Constitution,” he said.

“We are very cautious because we do not want to interpret the Constitution based on our opinions,” he added.

Adiong said that even the Supreme Court has yet to come up with a decision on whether the bicameral Congress should vote jointly or separately on proposed constitutional amendments in a con-ass.

“We are being cautious because we don’t want to instill fear in the public that we are using this [RBH 7] for political provisions,” he said. — BM, GMA Integrated News