Senate dares House: Make a stand on Cha-Cha, admit role in PI

The senators called on their counterparts in the House of Representatives to admit their involvement in the controversial signature campaign for the People’s Initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution. 

Reacting to House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe's demand to the Senate to disclose its position on the issue of Charter change, Senator Francis Escudero pressed the lower chamber to admit stirring a “fake” PI. 

Escudero described the HOR's demand as a classic case of the “pot calling the kettle black."

“Why don't they come out in the open, be accountable, and admit to the public that they are truly the ones behind this pekeng (fake) People's Initiative instead of doing a striptease?” Escudero said on Thursday.

He then questioned the changing position of the House members over PI. 

“Noong una, sinasabi nila 'wala kaming kinalaman dyan' then, sumunod na sinasabi na sila ay 'facilitator but not orchestrator...' and now, they have the nerve to say 'titigil namin ang PI pag pinasa nila ang RBH6 (At first, they said, ‘we have nothing to do with that.’ then, next they say they are ‘facilitator but not orchestrator.’ And now, they have the nerve to say, ‘We will stop the PI when they pass the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6’," Escudero said. 

He criticized how it “bodes well” for House lawmakers to abide by Speaker Martin Romualdez’s very own words, when, according to Escudero, was quoted saying, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

Escudero said the senators will publicly make a stand on the proposed Charter change “at a proper time.”

He likewise dared the proponents of Charter change “to present solid data” to back their argument as to why there’s a need to revise the Constitution “instead of misrepresenting opinions as facts.”

There's an ongoing heated argument between lawmakers from the Senate and HOR over the controversial signature campaign for amending the Constitution—which senators believe is being orchestrated by their counterparts in the lower chamber.

At present, the Senate’s Sub-Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes is tackling the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 or RBH6 that seeks to review the economic provisions of the 37-year-old Constitution.

The upper chamber’s review of the proposals to amend specific provisions of the Constitution was a directive from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in a bid to improve the country’s economy and attract more investors. 

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri previously said Marcos specifically instructed the upper chamber to pass the final version of RBH6, with the House of Representatives only adopting the Senate version of the measure. 

In a media interview on Thursday, Senator Sonny Angara also aired his confusion over the lower chamber’s stance on Charter change and urged them to clarify their role in the PI campaign. 

“D’yan ako nalilito kasi noong una parang sinasabi nila wala silang kinalaman sa PI tapos ngayon sabi nila babalik sila ng PI. So nalilito ako ano ba talaga diba? (It’s what I'm confused about,  because at first they had nothing to do with the PI, but now they say they will return to the PI. So I'm confused what is it really?)"

Angara reechoed his colleagues' call to their counterparts in the House. 

“Sana sabihin niyo sa tao, ano bang role niyo sa PI kasi ngayon parang lumalabas na sila na talaga yung may pakana ng PI. Hindi nila sinasadya pero lumalabas na sa kanilang salita. Tini-threaten pa kami (We hope they will tell the people about their role on pushing PI because now, it appears that they they are the ones behind PI. It may be unintentional but it seems coming out in their word. They are even threatening us),” he said. 

According to Angara, the House seems to dodging questions as to why they are hastening the push for charter change through PI.

“Mas maganda at mas transparent na ‘yung ginagawa na ngayon eh na dinidebate. Nakikita at napapanood ng mga kababayan kung ano yung argumento tungkol at laban sa Constitutional change (We are doing much better and we are more transparent as we go through debate. People can see and watch the arguments about and against the constitutional change),” she added.

Zubiri earlier the Senate will not rush the talks on the charter change as it needs a thorough scrutiny and review. 

“We will not be falling into a trap on any deadline because to discuss such an important matter needs time,” he said previously.