Albay Rep. Joey Salceda came to the defense of Speaker Martin Romualdez amid Senator Francis Escudero's insinuation that the House chief is behind the People’s Initiative for Charter change.
The economist-lawmaker expounded on Sunday that Romualdez only imparted the House's support for the public's appeal, which they perceived as a fundamental democratic process enshrined in the Constitution, during a public engagement in December 2023.
"It is crucial to understand that this support does not equate to direct participation or control by the House in the people's initiative process," Salceda pointed out.
The House's only role, Salceda added, is to encourage public discourse and awareness regarding constitutional reforms and ensure that Filipinos are well-informed and engaged in the democratic processes that shape the nation.
Salceda's remark came on the heels of Escudero's imputation that Romualdez has indeed had a hand in the ongoing effort to revamp the Charter through PI.
Escudero took to social media to his enrage at Romualdez about his persistent denial of his involvement in the contentious campaign, when in fact, he was quoted announcing the said intention in a video taken on 11 December during the Philippine Economic Briefing in Iloilo.
The senator showed the "proof" video on his X, formerly Twitter, with a caption: "This is clearly a politiko's (not a people's) initiative!!"
In the video, the Speaker was quoted saying that the House will endorse PI to amend the 37-year-old Constitution.
"We will highly recommend that we embark on a people's initiative to cure this impasse, so to speak, on how we vote. And I hope we can undertake this as soon as possible, so we could have some clarity on the procedures," Romualdez said.
"So, we would like to amend the Constitution vis-à-vis how we procedurally amend the same. And that's either we vote jointly or separately, we would like to have the result by and through People's Initiative."
Salceda, on the other hand, pointed out that the House has nothing but respect for the calls of the public. He said the chamber entrusts the PI, a mechanism allowing Filipinos to directly propose amendments to the constitution, as they believe in people's capacity to decide the best course for the nation's constitutional future.
"The people's initiative is a process for the people, by the people. It embodies the sovereign will of the Filipino citizens, offering a direct avenue for them to express their desires and aspirations for constitutional reform," Salceda said.
"We hope this clarification reassures the public of the House's respect for the people's initiative as a citizen-driven process and its commitment to the democratic principles that underpin our nation."
Last week, Salceda said proponents of the PI have also reached the 12-percent threshold for signatures to modify the Charter.
However, the Senate voiced fierce objection to the House's push for constitutional reforms through PI, notwithstanding President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s request to lead in reviewing the economic provisions of the Constitution.
Despite the Senate's withdrawal from the Cha-cha, Romualdez is keen to relax the restrictive economic restrictions on entering foreign capital and investments in the country.