Leaders of the House of Representatives on Monday assured senators congressmen are not out to abolish the Senate in their push for constitutional reform.
The assurance was made by Rizal Rep. Jack Duavit, who heads the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) bloc in the House, along with Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. Kristine Singson-Meehan, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., and Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia, the secretary general of the National Unity Party (NUP).
The leaders said any fear that the House is seeking to scrap the Senate “is just in the mind of the one expressing it.”
At the same time, they reiterated the support of the House and its leadership led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez for Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 6, which is pending in the Senate and which proposes amendments to the “restrictive” economic provisions of the Constitution.
The resolution is authored by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Edgardo Angara. The Senate has referred it to a special subcommittee chaired by Angara.
“With regard to the fears and allegations that the House would want to abolish the Senate, we would just like to let everybody know that as far as our party is concerned, there is no way we will be voting in any form to remove our five senators. And if we are not going to remove our five senators, then the other 19 senators can be assured,” Duavit said at the sidelines of the House party leaders caucus presided by Romualdez, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) president, which started late Sunday.
The senators belonging to NPC are Legarda, Francis Escudero, Lito Lapid, Sherwin Gatchalian, and Joseph Victor Ejercito. Singson-Meehan, who also belongs to NPC, echoed Duavit’s statement.
“To our Senate friends… as part of the NPC, we have five senators from NPC, and of course we will never abolish them. So we’re here to commit that the abolition of the Senate will never be part of the discussion when we do amend the Constitution,” she said.
The congressmen said they are supporting economic amendments because if foreign investment comes into the country, the employment rate will increase.
Gonzales, a stalwart of Lakas-CMD, said political amendments are not part of the Charter reform advocacy of the House.
He stressed that Charter Change discussions at the Lower House do include discussions on abolishing the Senate.
“We will embrace RBH No. 6 because that’s the economic provisions. At ‘yan po ang kailangan ng ating bansa. At si Speaker, palaging sinasabi, we will embrace RBH No. 6 because itoy makakatulong sa ating ekonomya lalo na ating Pangulo,” he said.
Speaking for NUP, Garcia said: “I would like to assure our friends from the Senate that we are not supporting any move to abolish the Senate. We just want economic reforms so that we can improve our economy to produce more jobs, better pay, and better lives for our citizens.”
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, a Nacionalista Party (NP) House leader, appealed to senators for sobriety and parliamentary courtesy between the House and the Senate.
“Let’s work towards achieving what we want to achieve for the country. Economic reforms are the key in achieving the goals and the objectives of our Bagong Pilipinas movement. We pray for their support and we would like to appeal to them to look at the better picture of doing something good for this country,” Barbers said.
Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, who heads the Party-List Coalition Foundation, Inc. (PCFI), echoed Barbers’ appeal.
“On behalf of the party, we would like to urge the senators to support the economic change that we have been proposing in the last four decades. We need a double-digit growth for our country to alleviate the lives of our countrymen. And it’s for the past years already that there’s no innovation that our country has been making on the economic change,” he said.
“This is the only way. Many presidents and administrations have promised to alleviate lives every election, but it never happens. So I think this is the best time that we will achieve this and be a game-changer for our nation. Let’s stand together and help each other,” he said.
House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe expressed strong support to the proposal of the Senate to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution through Resolution of Both Houses 6.
“We are one also with the other political parties in supporting that. And we would like to remain focused on what we have to achieve for the Filipino people. So let us stop all of these useless bickering and focus more towards those economic provisions in the Constitution that we have to amend. So let’s work, focus for the Filipino people,” Dalipe, Lakas-CMD executive vice president, said.
Camiguin Rep. Jesus Jurdin Romualdo said the country has been lagging behind its neighbors in attracting foreign investments.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez, Lakas-CMD treasurer, and Agusan del Norte Rep. Jose Aquino II said economic amendments to the Constitution will result to more jobs and livelihood.
“With regards to economic provision, it is very, very important because ito ho ang makakatulong sa Maharlika Investment natin na na-approve na. Maraming negosyanteng nag-aantay niyan. Malalaking proyekto,” Aquino, Lakas-CMD secretary general, said for his part.