MANILA, Philippines—A bill calling for the election of delegates into a constitutional convention made it in plenary Wednesday, the last day of session before the House of Representatives goes on a brief break.

La Union Representative Victor Ortega, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, delivered the sponsorship speech for House Bill 6975 that would implement a concurrent resolution of the House and Senate seeking to amend the Constitution through a constitutional convention.

The measure calls for the election of delegates to the convention on October 25, 2010. One delegate per district will be elected.

Ortega said the proposed timing of election should not be tainted with politics since it would be held months after the May 2010 polls and long after the turnover of the current administration to the new administration.

Ortega said there are three similar measures pending in the Senate authored by Senators Manuel Roxas II, Richard Gordon and Rodolfo Biazon.

Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco said he hopes the House move would trigger the upper chamber to act of the constitutional convention measures.

Asked by Bayan Muna party list Representative Teodoro Casiño what would happen to Resolution 1109 calling for a constituent assembly, Ortega said the measure remains alive but said it’s “highly improbable” Congress would act on it.

The elected delegates to the convention would be convened to introduce amendments to the 1987 Constitution, which some lawmakers said is already outdated and needed to be reformed.

Congress will go on recess starting Wednesday and will be back on December 1.