Even though Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) President Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte has abandoned Charter change (Cha-cha), his party colleagues on Tuesday defied him and pushed to fast-track the approval of Cha-cha via Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass).

During the House committee on constitutional amendments hearing, Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino of KAMPI moved to vote on Villafuerte's House Resolution 1109, but he lost. Voting 6-5, the committee decided to defer voting until further deliberations.

House Resolution 1109 seeks to amend the charter through a Con-Ass with both houses of Congress voting jointly instead of separately, a move which the opposition claims is a way for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stay in power beyond 2010.

In moving to vote on the Cha-cha resolution, Antonino said, "If and when [House Resolution] 1109 reaches the floor, I’ll be the main proponent in asking the deferment of deliberation [of House Resolution 737] until we have resolved 1109."

House Resolution 737 is the charter change initiative of House Speaker Prospero Nograles. It seeks to lift the restrictions on foreign investments in the 1987 charter through normal legislation instead of the three modes of amending the charter provided in the Constitution. 

Antonino was supported by three other KAMPI members--Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Agusan del Norte Rep. Edelmiro Amante, Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado--plus Lakas-CMD's Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo.

One KAMPI member, Camarines Sur Rep. Felix Alfelor Jr., voted to defer voting on the resolution.

The others who voter to defer were Pangasinan Rep. Victor Agbayani (Lakas-CMD), Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan (Lakas-CMD), Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao (NPC), Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tanada III (Liberal Party), Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas (Liberal Party).

Had Antonino's motion been carried, the committee would have voted to either approve or junk the resolution.

House committee on constitutional amendments chair La Union Rep. Victor Ortega said they will have another meeting next Tuesday (May 26). Nograles earlier instructed Ortega to send House Resolution 1109 to the plenary this week.

On Monday, Villafuerte announced that he is withdrawing his signature from the resolution. Although he is not a member of the committee on constitutional amendments and cannot vote, Villafuerte attended Tuesday's hearing to explain his move.

'Misread'

The voting results on Tuesday were unexpected. Earlier, the committee voted 12-4 against a motion to archive Villafuerte's resolution. One abstained.

Members of the minority walked out when they failed to stop the committee from voting on Antonino's motion to vote on the resolution already.

Among those who walked out were Bayan Muna representatives Satur Ocampo, Teodoro Casiño, Neri Colmenares,  Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, and Akbayan representatives Risa Hontiveros and Walden Bello.

LP's Tañada and Tupas did not join the walkout. Had they joined it, Antonino's motion would have been approved, 5 to 4. 

"Both the majority and the minority misread [the situation]," Tañada said.

Internal problems

In a sign of party disunity, Antonino questioned the "real reasons" behind Villafuerte's withdrawal of support.

"He claims that he is not agreeable to Cha-cha. We have to admit we are interested in amending the constitution. Let us not be misled that it seems now that there is a change of times. I don't know what the real reasons are. But certainly, I don't belive what was said [by Villafuerte]," Antonino said.

"His [Villafuerte] claim that he is only the writer [of the resolution] is totally untrue. It was Rep. Villafuerte who solicited my signature," he said.

"I signed this resolution because I felt that the penultimate importance of this resolution was that it would finally clarify the issue on whether Congress should vote jointly or separately. I felt that it was very important not for us--maybe we have no time now--but for future Congresses so that they may be guided once and for all," Antonino said.

In response, Villafuerte said "it is immaterial if I solicited it or if I approached you [Antonino]."

'Pathetic'

Following the vote junking the motion to archive HR 1109, Villafuerte said: "It is very pathetic that it had to take my withdrawal for my colleagues to finally resuscitate it. HR 1109 will be resuscitated when it should have been considered as already dead."

On Monday, Villafuerte held a press conference assailing the leadership of Speaker Nograles for "dilly-dallying" on his resolution in favor of House Resolution 737. Nograles refused to accede to Villafuerte, who wanted to defer HR 737 in favor of HR 1109.

Villafuerte said HR 737 is unconstitutional since amending the charter through normal legislation is not provided in the Constitution.