Sotto: Cha-cha starts if separate votes OKd
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Deliberations on the proposed Charter change (Cha-cha) will begin in the Senate provided that the two chambers of Congress agree to vote separately on proposed amendments, aSenate President Vicente Sotto III said as the Consultative Committee (ConCom) to review the 1987 Constitution is expected to complete its draft Federal Constitution this weekend.
Sotto said proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution is not among the priority in the agenda of the coming third regular session of the present Congress
“We’ll have to play it by ear. There are a number of priority legislations lined up. The committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes has presented a committee report or is ready to present a committee report so let’s see,” he said.
“We’ll be able to complete the draft by the weekend,” ConCom Senior Technical Assistant and spokesperson Ding Generoso said in a briefing yesterday.
“After the TWG (technical working group), lawyers, and Office of the Chairman have reviewed everything line by line, we hope to complete the draft by Saturday or Sunday,” he added.
“(But) if the President requests to start with chacha, we are sure to take it up immediately. But we cannot guarantee its swift passage in the Senate. We really have to scrutinize it first,” Sotto said.
The Senate chief underscored the position of the Senate for a separate vote if Congress will be convened as a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass).
Sotto said he’s now studying a proposal which will provide for a “hybrid” mode of amending the Constitution which he said will gain majority support in the Senate.
“(If it’s through the mode of) Con-Ass, if voting separately, there is a chance in the Senate,” he said.
“I have a hybrid proposal for 12 senators, 12 congressmen, 12 nominees by the President, 12 nominees from the civil society or the different sectors from the academe and so on,” the Senate leader said.
The matter is yet to be discussed by Sotto to his counterpart, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez or even President Duterte on this matter.
Sotto said he has been studying the proposal for about a month now and has discussed this with Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III only.
