Romualdez on Imee's charge he's behind PI drive: 'Prove it'

Speaker Martin Romualdez brushed off Senator Imee Marcos' accusations that he is the architect of the ongoing drive to muster signatures for a people's initiative to revamp the 1987 Constitution.

"That is baseless... Nagma-Marites siguro. I'd like her to prove it, and you know, she has the proper means and ways, and she can go to whatever court, or Comelec? Prove it because there are a lot of rumormongers in the Senate. [A] lot of speculations," said Romualdez in a press conference on Friday.

The House chief made the remark in reaction to Marcos' allegations that his office offers P20 million each to legislative districts in exchange for their constituents' signatures to push through with the PI.

The senator also alleged that the Speaker is behind a timeline for Charter change through PI aimed to conclude by 9 July.

Marcos recently revealed she's not been on good terms with his cousin, Romualdez, since October last year when she sided with the Dutertes over the issue of confidential funds for Vice President Sara Duterte.

Romualdez, for his part, admitted he hardly gets to speak with Marcos, but "I respect her as my cousin, as my senator, and we leave it at that. Free anytime; she can give me a call; she can text me anytime, clarify anything. But if she prefers to do it out in the media, that's her prerogative, but there's no truth to that," Romualdez said.

The Senate, dominated by Cha-cha opponents, has voiced strong objection to the House's renewed push for constitutional reforms through PI, notwithstanding President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s request for the Senate to lead in reviewing the economic provisions of the Constitution.

On Tuesday, all 24 senators signed a manifesto condemning the ongoing PI efforts in the thick of allegations of a signature-buying drive purportedly shepherded by the House.

Romualdez, who has denied involvement in the controversial campaign, said the initiative should be entrusted to the people since it's their prerogative.

"Let the people decide. We respect the process of the PI. All the senators' problems with this PI, [its] conduct, they can take it up with the Comelec or raise whatever allegations that I see are quite baseless in the proper courts," he said.

The Speaker wrote a letter to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday stating that the House is still waiting for the Senate's approval of Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, and is willing to adopt the measure.

Filed by Zubiri last week, RBH 6, seeking to amend Articles XII, XIV and XVI of the Constitution, will no longer push through, according to Senator Joel Villanueva, who accused the leaders of the House of being architects of the PI.

In his letter to Zubiri, Romualdez affirmed the House leadership's full backing of RBH 6 and its eventual passage.

House leaders likewise vowed to support the Senate should it have its alternative PI to amend the Constitution's economic provisions.

"We stand at a historic juncture where cooperation and collective resolve are paramount. We will transcend past barriers to reform, charting a course towards a future where every Filipino can partake in the nation's prosperity," the letter read.

"In uniting under our values and principles, the leaders of the House of Representatives recommit ourselves to the service of our people and the democratic ideals we are sworn to uphold."