Rodriguez: There would be no PI if Senate acts on RBH 6 before Holy Week

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The people’s initiative (PI) to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution will stop if the Senate acts on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said on Monday.

In a press briefing at the House complex on Monday, Rodriguez — head of the House committee on constitutional amendments — reiterated that the PI was borne out of the Senate not acting on almost 400 proposals to amend the constitution.

According to Rodriguez, should the Senate act on RBH No. 6 before the Holy Week break, they plan to ask proponents of the PI to stop.

“So the reason why there is this People’s Initiative is because the Senate has refused to act on (almost) 400 measures already that were filed here, including the last one, RBH 6.  So that is the situation now; that is the present situation.  They approve this before the Holy Week, they approve the three, and we plan to stop the People’s Initiative to allay fears,” he said.

“Ang gusto lang naman namin dito (What we only want here), is to be able to have these economic amendments so that we can have the FDIs (foreign direct investments) coming, more job opportunities, more corporate taxes for social programs, and more development in education and other development of our resources.  So that is the present situation,” he added.

Rodriguez also maintained that the House under Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is only seeking economic-related amendments, noting that with RBH No. 6, the control over the provisions is with the Senate as they have forwarded it to the upper chamber as early as March 2023.

“There can be no political (amendments because the next action is theirs.  So, therefore, it’s only economic; they are afraid of something, afraid of their own shadows,” he noted.

Furthermore, Rodriguez also assured their colleagues in the Senate that there are no plans to abolish the upper chamber, as they need it for checks and balances.

“In a letter that he sent to the Senate President, (Romualdez said) ‘we support and let us, therefore, continue to proceed with economic amendments.’  Very, very clear, only economic amendments.  They are saying that you are here, that the PI is out to abolish the Senate — farthest from the truth,” Rodriguez said.

“We have no plans of abolishing the Senate.  We need the Senate, we need this body to be able to have check and balance, for example.  But they are putting provisions in what we have approved: remember, RBH 6 approved last (March), there is nothing about political amendments, only economic amendments.  So there is nothing that can be changed there,” he added.

Earlier, party leaders at the House also assured senators that they have no plans to abolish the Senate, saying that they are behind the Senate’s RBH No. 6

Rizal 1st District Rep. Michael John Duavit, who heads the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), said that there is no impending vote to remove senators — noting that their party has five members in the Senate.

READ: House leaders say there’s no plan to abolish Senate, now pushing RBH 6 

Last December 2023, Speaker Romualdez and Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. floated the possibility of discussing charter change proposals anew, but with the possibility of entertaining PI proposals since the Senate has failed to act on RBH No. 6.

READ: Romualdez: Senate’s RBH 6 may be answer for people’s initiative backers 

After the PI’s signature campaign gained traction early January, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that he, Romualdez, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have agreed that the Senate would just push for their own version of RBH No. 6.

But last January 23, all 24 senators signed a manifesto against the PI, as the campaign asks that the House and the Senate vote jointly on the proposed constitutional amendments.  Such a voting scheme would allow 300 House lawmakers to overpower the vote of 24 senators.

READ: Senate manifesto nixes people’s initiative, warns of no-el scenario 

Several senators, including Senator Imee Marcos, also said that the House leadership is behind the PI campaign, but Romualdez and other House officials denied this, with the Speaker himself even noting that he welcomes the Senate’s RBH No. 6 and is willing to work with them in this regard.