FILE PHOTO: Senator Alan Peter Cayetano says the Senate and House of Representatives must talk to fix issues on Charter change. In this photo, Cayetano was presiding over a public hearing on September 15, 2023. (Voltaire Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said both chambers of Congress must talk and smooth out disagreements over proposed changes in the 1987 Constitution.
He said the Senate and House of Representatives should agree on the approach to tackle the matter because the people and the country would lose if the conflict escalates.
“Ang pinanggalingan ng issue na ito, hindi daw gumalaw ang Senate sa economic issues so wala daw silang choice. Pero duda ng Senate, may political provisions din na gustong palitan,” he said in an interview in Taguig city on Friday.
(The origin of this issue is that the Senate did not move on economic issues so they said they had no choice. But the Senate doubts, there are also political provisions they want to change.)
“Kailangang mag-usap talaga,” he added.
(A dialogue is imperative.)
READ: Rodriguez blames Senate inaction on Cha-cha bills why PI gained traction
“[Dapat maayos ito] dahil sa huli, kapag nagsuntukan ang Kongreso at Senado, ang mabubugbog at magkaka-black eye ay ang taumbayan,” he continued.
(It should be fixed because in the end, when the House and Senate come to blows, the ones who will get beaten up and get black eyes will be the people.
“Kapag hindi tayo mag-ayos, isa lang ang sasabihin sa ating ng taumbayan: PI,” he also said.
(If we don’t fix it, the people will tell us only one thing: PI [an acronym for a Filipino expletive].)
READ: Colmenares, Lagman hit people’s initiative on Cha-cha
A supposed people’s initiative was launched to gather signatures for Charter change. But it has been marred with controversies such as bribery with certain proponents allegedly offering money or aid through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program in exchange for signatures.
Senate leaders on Tuesday lambasted the House for its supposed duplicity in continuing to push for Charter change through the people’s initiative after agreeing to pursue the process via a joint resolution.
In an unprecedented move, the 24-member Senate unanimously approved a manifesto opposing the people’s initiative, saying the process would undermine the country’s democracy as it proposed that Congress vote jointly on revising the 1987 Constitution.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, however, denied spearheading the signature campaign. Other House members also slammed the Senate for its alleged inaction on Charter change bills.