New House resolution seen to clear ‘doubts’ on Cha-cha intent

HEALTHY DEBATE | House of Representatives officials led by Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe (second from right) say Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, which has similar provisions to the Senate’s RBH 6, will hopefully start a healthy debate and clarify concerns about the lower chamber’s intention in moving to amend the 1987 Constitution. (Photo from the Facebook account of the House of Representatives)

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Monday received an identical bill to the Senate’s Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 that seeks to amend three economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

RBH 7, titled “A Resolution of Both Houses of Congress Proposing Amendments to Certain Economic Provisions of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Particularly on Articles XII, XIV, and XVI,” was filed by House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Deputy Speaker David Suarez.

It was deliberately patterned after RBH 6, crafted by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Edgardo Angara and filed last Jan. 15, to show that House lawmakers had no other agenda to seek Charter change (Cha-cha) and was not intended to hasten the passage of the measure to amend the Constitution.

Dalipe said that RBH 7 took after RBH 6, so there would “no longer be concerns, no more doubts” as to the intentions of the House lawmakers in seeking constitutional amendments.

“Our RBH proposals are in toto to the Senate RBH. They’re exactly the same,” Gonzales stressed at a press conference on Monday.

“We really need to discuss the proposed amendments and work alongside the Senate to speed up the process to meet the Senate’s target, which Senate President Migz (Zubiri) set, that they would finish before the Holy Week,” he pointed out in Filipino.

Gonzales likewise quoted Speaker Martin Romualdez as saying, “At the risk of being persistent, we have been saying that we do not advocate any political amendment. The President made it clear that these provisions hinder the entry of foreign investments and the potential for faster and inclusive economic growth, which in turn could translate into a better life [for] every Filipino.”

Marathon hearings

Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. Kristine Meehan-Singson pointed out, “We are still optimistic the Senate will pass RBH 6,” emphasizing that RBH 7 was meant to show the House’s aim at amending only the economic provisions of the Charter.

“[This is] to show that this is what we want [to be] amended—the economic provisions mentioned in RBH 6 and RBH 7,” she said.

Both proposed resolutions seek amendments to the Constitution’s provisions on foreign ownership limitations: Article XII Section 11 on the franchise, which provides 60-40 percentage sharing in favor of Filipinos; Article XIV Section 4 on education, 60-40; and Article XVI Section 11 on the advertising industry, 70-30.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. denied that in filing RBH 7, the House was getting impatient with the Senate, saying, “The proper word is our action now is in line with the Senate’s. They’ve started public hearings, and as a coequal partner in Congress, we are doing this so we can already start here in the House hearings or discussions on this matter.”

“The reason why we’re doing this is to exhaustively discuss this issue so the people may know what we are really discussing,” Villafuerte noted, adding that convening the plenary as a committee of the whole would make the process more participatory.

Middle ground

Tingog Sinirangan party list Rep. Jude Acidre also noted that the House and the Senate have found a middle ground for future actions of Congress on what to amend in the 1987 Constitution, citing the similar content of the resolutions filed in both chambers.

Deliberations on RBH 7 would entail the House of Representatives constituting itself into a committee of the whole, which Dalipe said would “work double time.”

READ: Zubiri on Cha-cha hearings: Senate a safe place for ideas

The resolution would also entail Congress to constitute a constituent assembly to introduce amendments to the Constitution.

Deputy Speaker and Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano stressed that the House had already passed at least 54 of the administration’s priority measures and would have all the time to conduct marathon hearings for RBH 7 with the House plenary sitting as a committee on the whole. INQ