New Con-Ass resolution gaining ground in Lower House: sources
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/20/2008 11:38 PM
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A resolution calling on the Senate and the House of Representatives to convene into a constituent assembly has been quietly going around the House of Representatives for signatures.
Several resolutions calling for charter change are pending in the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, but congressional sources said a new resolution is making the rounds.
The target number of signatures is three-fourths of the combined total of the members of the House, which is 238, and the Senate, which is 24, but minus former Senator Alfredo Lim who is now Manila mayor.
The Constitution provides that a three-fourths vote is necessary for both Houses to convene as a constituent assembly and to amend the Constitution. The amendments have to be approved in a plebiscite.
But what is vague in the 1987 Constitution is whether both houses should vote separately or together.
Most constitutionalists have said the vote should be done separately since all bills and other legislative measures, such as the budget, are decided upon by both houses separately.
Congressional sources have told ABS-CBN News 150 congressmen have already signed the resolution.
Sources also revealed the only copy of the resolution is in the hands of Rep. Martin Romualdez, but some congressmen were also approached by Rep. Luis Villafuerte.
One of them is Rep. Adam Jala of Bohol, who said he was one of the first to sign the resolution last week
"There's a movement in the House wherein there is a resolution being passed wherein we are trying to adopt the joint voting interpretation so that we could have, I think 198 signatures for that petition, so that we could now propose amendments to the Constitution," said Jala.
A source who was approached but did not sign disclosed that among those first to sign were House Speaker Prospero Nograles and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, which led to the flurry of signatures.
ABS-CBN News tried to contact Romualdez, Villafuerte and Nograles but the congressmen could not be reached.
The resolution aims to draw those opposed to bring the issue to the Supreme Court, where the majority of the justices are already appointees of President Arroyo.
Jala had filed a petition for the High Court to decide on whether both houses should vote separately or jointly on the issue but the court threw out his petition saying it was premature.
"Let us finally put this issue in the Supreme court as the final arbiter of constitutional issues," said Jala.
'Cha-cha now will cause problems'
Meanwhile, administration Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri revealed some officials in Malacañang and the House of Representatives are moving to change the Charter.
On Thursday, Zubiri told ANC that Malacañang had approached him to lobby support for a constituent assembly to revise the Constitution.
"Some friends of ours from the Palace would like to see it done that way, through a constituent assembly and I told them it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna work. I have seen it many times," Zubiri told Dateline Philippines anchor Ricky Carandang.
"Yes [there are people in the Palace pushing for this]. They are hoping it can happen within this year or next year," Zubiri said.
Zubiri said he did not support the motion but it did confirm that the Palace was moving to revise the charter -- something Zubiri fears could lead to instability.
"If we try to extend terms, if we try to manipulate the constitution to benefit particular individuals or particular groups, I think magkakagulo," he said. -- With reports from Ces Oreña-Drilon and Ricky Carandang, ABS-CBN News
