Romualdez allays Senate’s fears on Cha-cha: ‘We are one with them’

MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Friday said he wrote a letter to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to allay “fears and anxiety” brewing in the upper chamber on developments concerning the amendment of the 1987 Constitution.

Romualdez on Thursday sent a letter to his counterpart to reiterate the House majority’s support for the upper chamber’s Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 which calls for a constituent assembly.

“You may have been aware that there are a lot of comments [and] statements, especially coming from our friends in the Senate and I sense that there is apprehension and anxiety,” Romualdez said in a press conference.

“And for whatever thoughts and fears that there may be, we felt that by writing a letter beyond by what we have already stated, in statements and speech when we open the regular session of the House, to assure our friends in the Senate that we are one with them and that we are supportive with them and there is nothing or there is no basis for any fears or anxieties they may be harboring,” he continued.

Romualdez also said he is “bewildered” by the Senate’s reaction to the developments, including the people’s initiative (PI).

“We can sense that there is this agitation, the temper, the manner in which privilege speech are coming out in the Senate. We have been a bit bewildered as to where is it coming from,” he pointed out.

“But to allay or mitigate anxiety that PI that has been undertaken right now is causing, we want to reassure our friends in the Senate that we are one with them and if they want to embark on an RBH which they announce they would do, immediately we are there with them, solidly behind them that once they pass it we will review it immediately,” he added.

Last December 2023, Romualdez and Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. floated the possibility of discussing charter change proposals anew to amend the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions.

However, Gonzales said that they may entertain PI proposals since the Senate has failed to act on RBH No. 6 — originally a resolution of the House calling for a constitutional convention, which was passed last March 2023.

In an unprecedented move, however, all 24 senators signed a manifesto against the PI, as the campaign asks that the House and the Senate vote jointly on whatever provisions of the Constitution will be amended.

READ: Romualdez tells Zubiri: House majority supports Senate’s RBH 6