Sotto: No compelling reason yet for Cha-cha

Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III

MANILA, Philippines—Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III  believes there is no compelling reason yet to amend the 1987 Constitution unless it is amended by the  Supreme Court (SC).

“I’ll still wait for the result of the MR (motion for reconsideration)  before I decide to support or not,” Sotto said in a text message on Wednesday.

He was referring to the MR pending before the Supreme Court on its decision to declare the complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional for violating the one-year rule on  filing cases of impeachment.

“Right now, there is compelling reason unless the SC amends the Constitution. I know the meaning of forthwith though others do not,” Sotto  added.

Article 11, Section 3.4 of the 1987 Constitution states that, “ In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.”

In pushing for Charter change (Cha-Cha) through a constitutional convention, House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno cited as an example how a single ambiguous word “can become the justification for legislative inaction, procedural manipulation, or worse, the loss of accountability itself.”

In the case of Duterte,  the  House of Representatives  transmitted the Articles of  Impeachment against her to the Senate for trial last February 5 but the latter  only convened as an impeachment court last June  10.

The SC declared on July 25 the complaint against Duterte unconstitutional, but this decision was immediately appealed by the House.

Pending the appeal at the SC, the Senate decided on August 6 to archive the impeachment case against Duterte.

Sen. Francis  Pangilinan, the newly installed  chairman of the Senate  committee on constitutional amendments, withheld his comment on the fresh Cha-cha talks in the House until the issue is brought before his panel.

“Hihintayin natin kung ano ang mga resoluyon na ihahain ng mga Senador. We will wait for committee referrals on the matter before we comment,” Pangilinan said.

Several Cha-cha measures have already been filed in  the Senate at the start of the 20th Congress. /gsg