Official seals of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate’s own move to pursue charter change by filing Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 is a strong show of unity, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Monday as Congressional session resumes.
Romualdez, in a speech during the resumption of session reiterated the need for a review on the “laws and policies”, “address pressing, contemporary issues and introduce reforms”, and “strengthen the relevance and applicability of established laws and policies to align with existing conditions”.
The Speaker also called for the entry of more foreign capital and direct investments — a goal of charter change proposals that seek to amend the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions.
“It is imperative that we reexamine the Constitution and carefully scrutinize pertinent economic provisions to eliminate the barriers that restrict potential growth. We therefore welcome the recent move of the senate, led by the Honorable Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, in joining the House of Representatives in its historic and laudable efforts towards charter change via constituent assembly,” Romualdez said.
“The Senate President, together with Senators Sonny Angara and Loren Legarda, filed [RBH] No. 6, which proposes amendments to specific economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. This signals a strong sense of unity and purpose. The congress of the Philippines, now acting as one body, will eventually fulfill the call for a reformed, responsive, and result-oriented constitutional framework,” he added.
Last January 15, Zubiri led the filing of RBH No. 6 which will rewrite specific economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
In a press conference, Zubiri said there was an agreement that the Romualdez-led House will adopt the changes that the Senate makes in RBH No. 6
Romualdez said that economic progress can be achieved with the Senate’s help, as the upper chamber’s leadership is now open to charter change proposals.
Last December, House leaders Speaker Romualdez and Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., resurfaced proposals for a charter change to amend the 1987 Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions, as a way of letting more foreign investments in.