Senate President Francis Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez. Senate PRIB and House of Representatives FB photos
MANILA, Philippines — Charter change was not among the topics and measures that were discussed when top leaders of Congress met on Thursday.
Senate President Chiz Escudero, in an ambush interview, was asked if Cha-cha was tackled, but he immediately said no.
Instead, Escudero said he personally told House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez about his perspective on why bills rarely get vetoed.
“Ang sabi ko sa kanila is sa tagal ko sa Kongreso, bihira naman yung navi-veto dapat na bill. Kasi bakit namin ipapasa kung alam naman naming ivi-veto? So ibig sabihin hindi namin alam na ipapasa, na ivi-veto. Para hindi sayang yung pagod. Tapos minsan may mga bicam na binabalik,” said Escudero.
(What I told them is that I’ve been in Congress for a long time now and bills rarely get vetoed. Because why would we pass it if we know that it will get vetoed? So that means we don’t know if it will be passed or get vetoed. Let’s not waste time. Sometimes there are even bicam [reports] that are being sent back.)
“Para di ba the coordination must take place not only between the Senate and the House, but also with the Executive,” he said.
(Coordination must take place not only between the Senate and the House, but also with the Executive.)
Prior to this remark, the new Senate chief already made clear that under his leadership, the Senate will not waste time on “measures that would not get [their] approval anyway.”
In a separate statement also issued Thursday afternoon, Escudero described his first meeting with Romualdez as both “productive and encouraging.”
“This initial engagement was an essential step in re-establishing a strong and collaborative relationship with the House leadership, particularly after a period of strained relations between the Senate and the House of Representatives,” he said.
According to him, the discussions focused on “bridging the gaps that have previously existed and establishing a framework for more open, transparent, and continuous communication moving forward.”
Escudero particularly noted that he and Romualdez have committed to ensure the passage of remaining priority bills identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac).
READ: Escudero to meet Romualdez to mend Senate-House ties
Ledac is a consultative and advisory body to the President, tasked with tackling specific programs and policies essential to the administration’s economic goals.
Apart from Romualdez and Escudero, also present in the meeting were Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, House Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., House Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Zaldy Co.