Duavit: House won’t ‘corner’ Senate on cha-cha talks

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will respect the independence of the Senate and not “corner” the upper chamber, even as the controversial charter change (Cha-cha) debates move forward, Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit said Wednesday.

During the Ugnayan sa Batasan press briefing, Duavit, who serves as the head of Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) contingent in the House, said he was asked to reach out to his partymates in the Senate to assure them that the cha-cha initiative being pushed in the lower chamber is only limited to the economic provisions of the Constitution.

Duavit’s partymates in the Senate include Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, and Senator Lito Lapid.

“I was asked to reach out to our party mates in the Senate — si SP [Sotto] di ko pa nakakausap pero si Senator Win nakausap ko (I haven’t talked to SP Sotto but I have talked to Senator Win) — to really assure them that the House of Representatives will be giving full respect to the independence of the Senate and that we will not be trying to corner them, or push them, or influence them in any untoward way, especially not make them look bad in the public eye,” Duavit said.

Nonetheless, Duavit said it is not the House’s task to convince the Senate to push through with the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

“Hindi na namin trabaho o responsibilidad para kumbinsihin ang Senado dahil nire-respeto namin ang kanilang independence at kanilang position. Ang focus namin is to come up with a good product dito sa House and we hope that the Senate will do the same,” Duavit said.

(It is not our responsibility to convince the Senate because we respect their independence. Our focus is to come up with a good product here in the House and we hope the Senate will do the same.)

“Pero hindi natin sila map-pwersa, hindi natin sila maiimpluwensiyahan (But we cannot force or influence them),” the lawmaker added.

Sotto has said that amending the economic provisions of the Constitution “would probably be acceptable.” However, the Senate leader said that it would be a different story if the scope of the amendments would go beyond the economic provisions.

The House committee on constitutional amendments is currently tackling Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” would be added to the constitutional restrictions that limit the participation of foreign investors in the governing body of entities based on their proportionate share in the capital.

The same phrase would likewise be added to provisions saying only Filipino citizens can control, own, and/or lease alienable lands, public utilities, educational institutions, mass media companies, and advertising companies in the country.

Meanwhile, the Senate likewise opened on Wednesday its deliberations on the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

EDV