A senator on Tuesday said that a proposed Senate resolution rejecting moves initiated by Arroyo administration allies in the House of Representatives for a unilateral convening of a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) has already been signed almost unanimously by senators.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan told ABS-CBN News that 21 senators, as of Tuesday night, have already signed the resolution.

He said he expects the remaining two senators to sign on Monday. Pangilinan however did not identify the remaining two senators.

The insistent moves of administration allies in the Lower House to convene a Con-Ass have sparked tension between the two legislative chambers.

Senators are generally for the convening of a Constitutional Convention, which they said should be done after President Arroyo’s term in 2010. The Senate’s position is supported by various sectors, including the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

In a move that will effectively bypass the Senate, Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luis Villafuerte, president of President Arroyo's party, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), is gathering signatures for a yet-to-be-filed resolution that will call for the convening of a Constituent Assembly through a joint voting.

A three-fourth vote of Congress—or 196 votes—is required to convene itself into a Constituent Assembly. In separate voting, that means 179 congressmen and 18 senators should approve. Assuming joint voting is constitutional, the 238-member House of Representatives can gather the necessary votes without the approval of a single senator.

Previous reports said that 167 signatures have already been gathered for the Villafuerte resolution although this has yet to be confirmed.

There is strong opposition among public and private sector groups against Con-Ass. Seen as a vehicle to extend President Arroyo’s term, civil society groups, influential businessmen, opposition leaders and activists are set to gather in Makati City on December 12 in protest of the move.

‘No signature gathering at party’
The report on the proposed Senate resolution comes after some congressmen denied a report of a Christmas party Monday night held in the residence of one of President Arroyo’s congressman son where purportedly signatures were again gathered for Villafuerte’s resolution.

An ABS-CBN News source said that Villafuerte’s resolution for Con-Ass was passed for signature in the party reportedly attended by 40 first-time congressmen and held at the residence of Camarines Sur 1st district Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo in La Vista, Quezon City.

Rep. Diosdado Arroyo however, in a text message to ABS-CBN News, denied the report saying no such signature gathering happened.

Antipolo City 1st District Rep. Roberto Puno and Valenzuela 1st District Rep. Rex Gatchalian who both attended the party also denied the report. Gatchalian added that he had already signed the resolution earlier.

Cebu City 2nd District Rep. Antonio Cuenco meanwhile said that it is an “open secret” that the two congressman sons of President Arroyo, Rep. Diosdado and brother Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Juan Miguel " Mikey" Macapagal-Arroyo, are supporting the Villafuerte Con-ass resolution.

Supreme Court is the real battleground
Speaker Prospero Nograles himself acknowledged that only the Supreme Court will be able to resolve the tension over the congressmen’s proposal to conduct joint voting.

The congressmen’s position for joint voting is expected to be challenged in the Supreme Court if administration allies in the House of Representatives gather the 196 signatures and make the move to convene into a Constituent Assembly.

“All modes at this point is a possibility, but what we really need now is the sense of the Supreme Court,” Nograles said.

“If the Supreme Court says that the determination of Con-Ass can be voted jointly by the Senate and House, we can go for it. But if it says otherwise and maintains that this should be voted separately, then we can go for Concon,” he added. With reports from Ricky Carandang and Ces Drilon, ABS-CBN News and Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak