The plenary hall of the House of Representatives. (INQUIRER.net file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Pushing discussions on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 up to October 2024 — and having a plebiscite side by side with the 2025 midterm elections — might politicize constitutional amendments, Majority Floor Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Dalipe explained that it might be better for a plebiscite on the possible constitutional amendments be held separately to allow people to focus on one issue at a time.
“It might be politicized. As early as now it is being politicized, right? So if you were to ask me, I think we would like our voters, the voters of this country decide on a matter where they would think of this only,” Dalipe said, speaking partly in Filipino, when asked about proposals to have the plebiscite alongside the 2025 elections.
“It’s just a yes or no question, but we do not want to mix that with an election where you know, you have candidates for national positions, you have candidates in local elections, and you have different groups trying to get elected. Of course, it would be politicized. We would like to separate it, separate that very important issue, present it to our voters without any distraction of anybody running in an election,” he added.
RBH No. 6, a resolution calling for amendments to the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions, was passed by the House last March 2023.
After several verbal exchanges among lawmakers from the House and the Senate, it is now being discussed by the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes.
Earlier, however, Senator Sonny Angara who chairs the subcommittee discussing RBH No. 6 said it would be cheaper if the plebiscite on constitutional amendments would be held during the 2025 national polls.
It was also Angara who said that discussions on RBH No. 6 might take up to October — to the disappointment of House leaders who pointed out that it was Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri who came up with the self-imposed deadline of March.
But Dalipe maintained that it might be better to hold the plebiscite in a different setting so the people would not have to think about voting for local and national officials, and at the same time, deciding about constitutional amendments.
House and Senate members have been engaged in a verbal spat due to proposed amendments to the Constitution’s economic provisions.
Several senators claimed that the House leadership, particularly Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, is behind the people’s initiative which seeks joint voting on the constitutional amendments.
While the discussions have appeared to simmer down with the Senate’s commitment to tackle RBH No. 6, tensions appear to have sparked again with the House passing a resolution defending Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez from the Senate’s alleged “intense assault.”