‘Para walang gulo’: Zubiri prefers House to adopt Senate Cha-cha bill

MANILA, Philippines —Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri prefers that the House of Representatives just adopt the upper chamber’s Charter change (Cha-cha) bill.

Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) is currently being discussed by the Senate subcommittee on constitutional amendments led by Senator Sonny Angara.

“’Pag natapos na, mas magandang i-adopt na lang para walang gulo, walang away, hindi kwestiyonable at hindi rin magkakaroon ng uncertainty,” Zubiri said in an interview at the Senate on Wednesday.

(When it’s finished, it’s better to just adopt it to avoid any confusion, conflict, questions, or uncertainty.)

RBH 6, proposing changes to specific economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, was filed last January 15 by Zubiri, Angara, and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda.

Just last Monday, however, their counterparts in the House of Representatives initiated Resolution of Both Houses No. 7 (RBH 7), mimicking the Senate’s RBH 6.

Notably, the Senate measure specifically states that voting on amendments must be done separately by the two chambers of Congress.

The House’s RBH 7, on the other hand, simply states that changes to the Constitution should be approved by “a vote of three-fourths of all its Members.”

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When told that House members are still pushing for joint voting, Zubiri said: “I don’t know. I respect the House.”

“As far as we’re concerned, we will just continue with RBH 6,” the Senate leader said.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, on the other hand, remained firm on voting separately on any changes to the Constitution.

“We are very supportive but not with the RBH 7 which says that we have to vote jointly. We have to vote separately. Because the essence of bicameralism will not be enforced if that’s the case,” Estrada said in another interview.

He was asked about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s confirmation of his earlier suggestion to the Senate to take the lead in the Ch-cha discussion.

“The house has to heed to the statement of the President,” Estrada then said.