Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of Congressman Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives leadership does not want any term extension for lawmakers, Majority Floor Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe clarified on Wednesday.
Dalipe said this in a statement after a Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 8, which seeks to extend the terms of House members from the current three years to five years, was filed at the House by Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Angelo Barba.
According to Dalipe, the House under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is committed to amending the 1987 Constitution only for the purpose of freeing restrictive economic provisions.
“We are sticking with that advocacy, because that is what we think will be good for the country and that is what we believe the people will accept,” he said.
“While there is broad acceptance for these reform proposals, a proposed constitutional amendment that is political in nature, on the other hand, will surely divide our people. They will suspect self interest as the motivation behind such proposal,” he added.
A quick look on the House website shows that RBH No. 8, or A Resolution of Both Houses of Congress Proposing Amendments to Section 7, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Seeking to Extend the Term of Office of the Members of the House of Representatives, was filed by Barba last Monday.
A copy of the resolution is not yet available on the website.
Barba is the cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
As of now, the said RBH is still pending with the House committee on constitutional amendments.
House officials previously filed an RBH No. 7, which seeks to open the sectors of basic education, public utilities, and advertising to foreign ownership, to attract more investments into the country. Under the proposal, RBH No. 7 and the Senate’s RBH No. 6 will open the said industries by amending three provisions in the 1987 Constitution, and adding the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law.”
READ: House approves RBH 7 on third reading
The resolution was approved by the House on third and final reading last March 20, 2024. However, a counterpart measure in the Senate has not been acted upon.
READ: House reps press Senate again to pass RBH 6 on Charter change soon
Dalipe said that he is not sure if Congress will entertain other charter reform proposals, but he believes the leadership only prefers economic reforms.
“So those are the proposals of the House. Procedurally, I am not sure if we can entertain another constitutional amendment resolution, although I believe the House is inclined to confine itself to economic Charter reforms,” he noted.