Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (File photo from the Senate Public Relatins and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — It would be better to defer Charter change (Cha-cha) talks until the 2025 election is finished with a “new set of legislators” having been elected, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko Pimentel III said in a press conference on Friday.
“Although I’m open to constitutional amendments, let’s not have it now with the same set of legislators,” Pimentel, speaking partly in Filipino, told reporters.
“After the 2025 elections — that’s it. Let’s entertain it. There will be a new set of legislators.”
Pimentel made his remarks after a Pulse Asia poll showed that most Filipinos still did not believe that now would be the right time to amend the Constitution.
Pimentel, an opposition senator, said the previous people’s initiative bid – which senators believe was stirred by some of their counterparts in the House of Representatives – tainted the public’s view of Cha-cha.
“Under this context or given this situation, you will doubt all efforts to amend the Constitution at this moment because we are dealing with the same people. The same persons are involved,” he said.
Earlier this year, members of the Senate and the House traded in heated barbs over the controversial signature campaign.
Some senators believe this campaign seeks to weaken the power of the upper chamber.
At present, the Senate, through Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 is leading talks on economic Cha-cha. This was made according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s request for the upper chamber to review the proposals to amend certain provisions of the Constitution.
Marcos said he saw the need to ease restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution to allow more foreign direct investment in the country.
READ: Marcos: Why the row? Senate to lead Cha-cha
The House passed a similar measure — Resolution of Both Houses No. 7 —in March.
However, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier admitted that it would be challenging to get enough votes to pass RBH6 in the upper chamber.
The opposition only needed to muster eight votes to trash the fresh Cha-cha bid. For now, those who categorically stated that they were against Cha-cha include Pimentel and Senators Risa Hontiveros and Cynthia Villar.