BICOLANO legislators led by National Unity Party (NUP) president LRay Villafuerte have given their full backing once more to Speaker Martin G. Romualdez as they called on senators to ditch their ongoing inquiry into the suspended people’s initiative (PI) and work instead on passing before the Congress’ Holy Week break a measure finally giving the green light to the bicameral push for lifting the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution that have scared off foreign investments.
Villafuerte said, “The current Senate hearings on the PI process initiated by private groups long yearning for Charter Change, in which the House of Representatives and its leaderships have surprisingly and unfortunately become the subject of the inquiry, contravene inter-parliamentary courtesy and reek of undue interference by members of one chamber in the official acts of legislators belonging to the other.”
“In a bicameral setup such as the Philippine Congress, respect, civility and decorum among members of both chambers forbid legislators belonging to one body to be investigating those of the other,” Villafuerte said, “and more so when there is actually nothing to investigate about such peers. There is no room for such a breach in the spirit of bicameralism as members of the Senate and the House are co-equals in our National Legislature.”
The NUP president, who represents Camarines Sur’s second legislative district, issued this statement in support of Romualdez and RHB 6 with fellow Reps. Miguel “Migz” Luis Villafuerte and Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata from the province and Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan.
The four congressmen said that “ending the Senate inquiry now would be a sign of good faith in the Congress’ long-sought joint push for RHB 6, putting in place an excellent working environment conducive to the prompt yet deliberate passage by the Senate of its own version of this constitutional reform bill, and the House’s concurrence with it, preferably before the lawmakers go on their March 23-April 28 Lenten break.
The House unanimously passed its version of RHB 6 in March 2023 yet, and Zubiri, after meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the issue of Charter change last month, announced the creation of a subcommittee chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara that would study amendments limited to the economic provisions of the Constitution, beginning this February.
Zubiri further said the Senate aims to pass RHB 6 before the break. Romualdez then welcomed Zubiri’s announcement and said the House would support the version of RHB 6 to be passed by the Senate.
The House-passed RHB 6 also limited Charter change to economic reforms, specifically the antiquated provisions that limited foreign participation in Philippine businesses.
