Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Franklin Drilon said the chamber was open to start discussions on Charter Change in 2014 but  said it should be done through a constituent assembly where both houses of Congress should vote separately.

“There has been no discussion of that for the past months. There were discussions during the first part of the year. We are open to it,” Drilon said at a press conference on Thursday.

“We will see how these debates develop and we will take a position at the appropriate time. But there must be consensus among the political leaders because this kind of political exercise must have the support of the unified political leadership,” he said.

Drilon issued the statements when sought to react to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte’s statements that he wold push for the passage of a Charter change resolution in  the  House of Representatives early next year.

Drilon said he and  Belmonte  have  not yet discussed  the issue but pointed out that  the amendments  on the  economic provisions being  pushed in the  House  were   the same amendments he  was proposing a couple of years ago.

However, the Senate leader said any proposals in the Constitution should follow the procedure in enacting laws and must be passed by a three-fourths votes of each chamber voting  separately.

“Yes, follow the procedure in enacting laws but it must be passed by a three-fourths  majority of each house  voting separately and the amendments must be submitted for ratification before it b becomes effective,” he said.

“The reason the Senate rejected the proposal that we must convene as a constitutional assembly voting as one is because you might as well abolish the Senate – because the Senate is just 24 as against the House’s 270 votes. That is why there is a resistance.”

‘But if we vote separately  as separate houses of Congress then that possibility would not happen,” Drilon added.

Asked if next year was the proper time to pass the Charter change proposal, Drilon said: “Every time that question comes up, the question being raise is: “Is it the proper time?”  At the end of the day, it would depend on the people where in the process of ratification, they themselves

would decide whether it is proper at this point to amend the Constitution in the manner as presented by Congress acting as a Constitutional assembly.”

 
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