HANOI, Vietnam — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is seeking a compromise between the House of Representatives and the Senate over the contentious People’s Initiative for Charter change, or cha-cha.
In a roundtable interview with the Philippine media delegation here on Tuesday, Marcos, a vocal advocate for economic reforms, said he wants to avoid politicizing the process and ensure a smooth path for the changes he desires.
“My primary goal (in wanting the Constitution amended) is the economic provisions that I have been talking about for many years,” Marcos said, acknowledging how the discussions often veered into politicized territory.
To navigate this complexity, Marcos revealed that he has been consulting “leaders of both chambers and some of the best constitutional minds in the Philippines” to find a simpler solution.
The key issue revolves around the voting procedure, the President noted.
“The best advice we are getting is that the legislature is of a bicameral nature,” he explained, indicating a preference for separate voting by the House and Senate. However, he said the finer details of the process are still being determined to ensure that both chambers retain their roles within the bicameral system.
When asked about the fate of the People’s Initiative, the President said, “We haven’t made a decision yet.”
His statement belied the announcement made by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri last Sunday that Marcos would appeal to the House to let go of the PI.
Marcos said he held consultations with former chief justices, presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, and constitutionalists. “We are asking them, ‘what do you think is the most appropriate course of action?’” he said.
Earlier this week, the Commission on Elections said it had stopped indefinitely all of its duties related to the ongoing People’s Initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution that has caused a rift between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The lead convenor of the People’s Initiative for Modernization and Reform Action admitted during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that he had collaborated with House Speaker Martin Romualdez to secure three percent of signatures per congressional district for the cha-cha initiative.
In response to Senator Imee Marcos’ inquiry about whether the Speaker was endorsing the PIRMA group and fully supporting the People’s Initiative, Noel Oñate said, “Yes, we coordinated with the Speaker and congressmen in getting the three percent per congressional district. That’s correct, madam senator.”
The Senate initiated an inquiry on Tuesday into the reported bribes paid during the signature campaign for Charter change. PIRMA, leading the signature drive, specifically asked voters if they supported amending Article 17, Section 1 of the Constitution to allow all members of Congress to jointly vote on proposed constitutional amendments.