Political amendments in Charter? That’s political suicide, says Roman

MANILA, Philippines — A House lawmaker has reiterated that there are no proposals for political amendments to the 1987 Constitution, noting that pushing for such will be political suicide as House leaders and the Chief Executive have focused on economic amendments.

Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said on Monday that concerns from senators that House members will eventually seek political amendments — term extensions and reelection clauses — are irrational fears because both Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. openly stated preference for changes in economic provisions only.

“There have been talks again that there is supposedly a hidden agenda to include political amendments.  We have said this several times to our friends in the Senate that our promise is, what you see is what you get.  We have RBH 7 (Resolution of Both Houses No. 7), and it is purely (about) economic provisions,” Roman said.

“Well, from a political point of view, it will be political suicide for any politician to, you know, insert political amendments.  I mean, no politician in his right mind would actually try or even attempt to introduce political amendments when, for the longest time we have been assuring our friends in the Senate na we are only interested in amending the economic provisions and, of course the appeal of the President and the Speaker is clear, purely economic provisions only,” she added.

READ: House leaders file RBH 7, mirrors Senate version of economic amendments

Roman also called out allies of President Marcos in the Senate who are supposedly looking to vote against RBH No. 6, the resolution in the Senate that calls for constitutional amendments, saying that true allies of the administration would support the Chief Executive’s agenda.

The lawmaker said this after being asked about Senator Cynthia Villar’s alleged claims that there are seven senators —including four who are allies of the President — who would vote against RBH No. 6

“Four of which you say are allies of the President?  If they were really allies, they would listen to the request of our President to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution,” Roman said.

“Is this what businessmen are really saying?  I’d like to hear directly from them because so far I’ve been listening to businessmen say that this will actually be beneficial to our country,” she added.

When talks of a people’s initiative (PI) dominated headlines in early January, senators feared that the House leadership was behind the proposal and were supposedly out to abolish the Senate.

READ: House member to Sen. Villanueva: Stick to issues, drop arrogance

All 24 senators signed a manifesto rejecting the PI, with no less than Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva saying that the Senate cannot be abolished since senators cannot be compared to House lawmakers who receive fewer votes.

READ: Rep. Tulfo ‘surprised’ by Sen. Villanueva’s remarks vs House solons

House leaders however noted that they never planned to abolish the Senate, insisting that they are not behind the PI.  Moreso, House representatives stressed that their RBH No. 6, approved as early as March 2023, only asked for amendments to economic provisions.

Under RBH No. 7 which the House committee of the whole deliberates, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” would be inserted in 1987 Constitution provisions about Filipino ownership of public utilities, basic education, and the advertising industry.

The phrase would allow Congress to pass laws that would prescribe the rate of foreign ownership for these industries.