House: RBH 7 passed before Holy Week break

The House of Representatives is keen to pass its economic Charter change bill, the Resolution of Both Houses or RBH 7, before Congress goes into a month-long Holy Week recess.

Palm Sunday, falling on 24 March this year, kicks off the Holy Week.

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. stressed yesterday that they will adhere to their self-imposed timeline for approving RBH 7 on the third and final reading, which aims to amend certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

“Under the original timeline set by our good Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, we hope to have final approval before our scheduled adjournment on Wednesday, barring any last-minute delay,” said Gonzales, one of the bill’s proponents.

Gonzales predicted that RBH 7 would breeze through plenary debates “as is, without amendment,” as recommended by the Committee of the Whole House headed by Speaker Romualdez.

The House approved RBH 7 on second reading on Wednesday, exactly a week after it hurdled the Committee of the Whole, which held six days of extensive hearings with constitutionalists, former Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, ex-lawmakers, academic institution heads, and stakeholders, among others.

RBH 7 is aligned with the Senate’s RBH 6, with the only distinction being the manner of voting.

The House resolution stipulates that Congress may propose amendments “upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members,” which means voting jointly. The Senate resolution, meanwhile, prescribes “each House voting separately.”

The 24-member Senate has opposed the House’s idea to convene and vote as one body, fearing that they would be outnumbered by 300-plus congressmen.

However, both measures aim to eliminate the restrictions on foreign ownership in public utilities, educational facilities, and the advertising industry, covered under Articles 12, 14, and 16, respectively, which are said to hamper the Philippines’ economic potential.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Saturday that the House and the Senate, which have been locked in a verbal duel over the past months over cha-cha, have now reached a “consensus” to amend only the economic provisions of the Constitution.

Also on Saturday, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who had expressed aversion to cha-cha but is now leading the move, said that the Senate is “on track” and has about three more hearings left on RBH 6.

Zubiri had previously committed to passing RBH 6 before the Holy Week break but later changed his tune, stressing that the Senate would not succumb to deadline pressure.

The Senate, dominated by cha-cha opponents, is one with Marcos to synchronize the cha-cha plebiscite with the 2025 local and congressional elections, as it would be cost-effective.