Lacson: Settle joint or separate vote before starting Cha-cha

The Senate will not agree to form a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) with the House of Representatives without resolving first whether or not the body should vote jointly or separately to amend the 1987 Constitution, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Thursday.

“Definitely, not a single senator will agree to a voting jointly Con-ass,” Lacson said during the Kapihan sa Senado.

“We will not even allow ourselves to form a Con-ass with the Lower House kung hindi pa nare-resolve ang issue ng voting jointly or separately (if the issue of voting jointly of separately has not yet been resolved),” he said.

Lacson said the Senate has not decided yet on the mode of amending the Constitution but the sentiment among his colleagues was against voting jointly.

“Kami naman sa Senate, informal conversations ang nakita kong sentiment, wala talagang papayag kung hindi malinaw na we’ll be voting separately along with the members of the Lower House. Otherwise, we will all become irrelevant,” he said.

(In the Senate, in informal conversations, the sentiment I can see is that is that they won’t allow it if it’s not yet clear whether we’ll be voting separately along with the members of the Lower House. Otherwise, we will all become irrelevant.)

READ: Alvarez calls for constitutional commission to allay fears in Con-Ass

He pointed out that the House of Representatives has close to 300 members while the Senate has only 24 members.

“Sinong loko-lokong senador makiki-participate pa (Who would be a foolish senator to still participate) when you are allowed to debate but not allowed to vote because your vote doesn’t count? ‘Yan ang (That’s the) sentiment,” the senator said.

“Before we can constitute ourselves into that Con-ass, kailangan maliwanag sa aming mga senador na (it should be clear to us senators that we would be) voting separately.”

Lacson said the Senate could not simply agree to a joint resolution, even if it provides for separate voting, saying anyone can question it before the Supreme Court.

If that happens, he said, the Senate could no longer back out from the Con-ass.

The senator could not say however if the issue could now be raised before the SC when the Con-ass has not been convened yet,.

“Kasi it’s parang (It’s like) a chicken-and-egg situation. Ano kinukwestyon mo kung wala pa naman talagang Con-Ass (Are you questioning whether there would really be a Con-ass)? Kami naman how can we be assured na we’ll be voting separately kung wala namang final ruling ang SC (On our part, how can we be assured that we’ll be voting separately if the Supreme Court has no final ruling yet)?” Lacson asked.

“Maski mag-agree sa House, sabihin ng House payag kami voting separately tayo but that’s just a joint resolution (Even if the House agrees that we vote separately, that’s just a joint resolution). Although a joint resolution has the effect of a law, still it can be reversed by an SC ruling if and when someone questions it. So huli na kami roon (So we would be too late by then),” he said. CDG/rga

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