MANILA, Philippines?If the House of Representatives sends the constituent assembly resolution to the Senate, that would be tantamount to killing the measure, according to its author Camarines Sur Representative Luis Villafuerte.

Villafuerte, who has since withdrawn his support for the resolution, said the transmittal of the measure to the Senate, as broached by its sponsors, was contrary to its spirit and intent.

He said the Senate could just disapprove the measure, and then that would be the end of it, especially since the Senate has been vocal in opposing HR 1109.

?It will be killed if they bring it to the Senate,? he told the PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER in a phone interview. ?If you transmit it, it means the mode now is voting separately.?

But he said the intent of the resolution was to determine how to compute the three-fourths vote needed to propose changes to the Constitution in a constituent assembly, whether or not the House and the Senate have to vote jointly or separately.

His position is that a joint vote is needed, meaning the three-fourths vote could be mustered by enough House members alone. The Senate objects to joint voting.