‘Waste of time’: Drilon thumbs down planned House panel talks on ‘cha-cha’
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday thumbed down the plan of a House panel to begin discussions on charter change proposals when Congress resumes sessions next week.
“Regardless of the merit, the issue on Cha-cha is the timing. Should we debate on Cha-cha now, which is a very divisive issue, or should we concentrate all our efforts and resources on economic recovery?” Drilon said in a statement.
The House committee on constitutional amendments will convene after President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 to discuss the charter change proposals of over 1,400 mayors in the country, according to panel chair Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.
Earlier, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) passed a resolution seeking amendments to the Constitution to institutionalize the Mandanas ruling of the Supreme Court and lift the restrictions on foreign investment.
Drilon said discussing Cha-cha upon the resumption of session would be a “waste of time,” pointing out that the President’s SONA should focus on the government’s plans for the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The President’s speech should lay out the administration’s “overall comprehensive plan” to alleviate the plight of Filipinos and mitigate the economic impact of the crisis, the Senate minority leader said.
“The upcoming SONA is an opportunity for the President to present an overall comprehensive plan on how the country will survive this pandemic,” Drilon said in an interview over dzBB.
“At the top of our wish list is to hear the President’s plan on how to revive our economy heavily hit by the pandemic and help millions of our countrymen, including hundreds of thousands of overseas Filipino workers, who lost their livelihood,” he added.
