MANILA, Philippines – House of Representatives Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe is suggesting that Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, once it is approved by the chamber, be forwarded to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for their consideration.
Dalipe, in an ambush interview on Monday said that eventually, both the House and the Senate would have to submit their Charter change proposals to the Comelec.
“Because if we finish it this week on third reading, which we are trying to, with Resolution of Both Houses Number 7, we’ll be done with the House of Representatives. So if we have three-fourths vote on RBH 7, and everything has been complied with in accordance to the Constitution, then my suggestion is we forward it to the Commission on Elections,” Dalipe said.
“That is my interpretation — that the House and the Senate will forward it to Comelec, because ultimately it will be Comelec who will finally decide if it is up to be presented to the, to our voters in a plebiscite,” he added.
When asked if the House would no longer wait for the Senate to pass its own version of RBH No. 7 — RBH No. 6 — Dalipe said that all proposals are eventually forwarded to the Comelec.
The House official also said they are optimistic that the Senate will approve RBH No. 6.
“Well, we hope that, we are very optimistic that the Senate will also have three-fourths vote, because it’s stated in the Constitution that three-fourths vote of Congress,” Dalipe said.
“So gano’n pong mangyayari, pag meron na tayong three-fourths vote ng RBH 7 dito sa House, at meron rin ‘yong Senate, eh ang ultimately magde-decision niyan ‘yong Comelec. So sila ‘yong magsasabi. Basta wala naman kasi iba pang opisina na pwede i-forward ‘to kung hindi sa Commission on Elections,” he added.
(So that is what will happen when we have three-fourths of RBH 7 here in the House, and the Senate has done so, too. Ultimately, it is still the Comelec who will decide (if a plebiscite can be called already). There is no other office that we can forward the proposals to but the Comelec.)
Dalipe has not yet ascertained if the House can pass RBH No. 7 on third reading at the House, but Minority solons believe the measure is up for consideration this week — before Congress goes on a break for the Holy Week.
After RBH No. 7 was approved on second reading last March 13, Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman, who is part of the Minority, said that the battle against Charter change has been lost in the House.
However, several lingering questions remain regarding the procedure Congress will follow for RBH Nos. 6 and 7. Lagman and key officials in the Majority believe that the House and the Senate must vote jointly on the proposed amendments, while senators insist that the two chambers should vote separately.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself believes the two chambers should vote separately.