Alvarez says Cha-cha is House’s top priority, eyes referendum on federal charter in May

Convening Congress into a constituent assembly that will amend the constitution will be the top priority of the House of Representatives in 2018, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Wednesday.

If  Congress decides to convene a ConAss this January, Alvarez said the proposed new federal charter could be ready for a referendum simultaneous with the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in May.

“Number one is the convening of Congress into a constituent assembly and in revising the Constitution, a shift from a unitary to a federal form of government,” Alvarez said in an ANC interview.

The Duterte administration has been pushing for a shift to a federal form of government as a means to address issues particularly in strife-torn Mindanao.

Alvarez said Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III may well be supportive of the ConAss, as he himself is the president of the ruling Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan party, which advocates federalism.

“I don’t see any reason why si Senate President will not be working on it also,” he said.

The Speaker expressed confidence that House supermajority will support the constituent assembly.

He appealed, however, to the sense of patriotism of some senators who are not exactly supportive of the proposed shift to federalism.

“This is a question of patriotism, kung ano yung tama at kung ano yung kailangan sa bayan,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez allayed the fears of some senators over their political careers ending with the possible dissolution of the Senate in a federal government set up.

"Originally naman, balikan natin yung kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, unicameral naman talaga tayo. So anong ikinatatakot natin? Puwede naman silang tumakbo, hindi naman pupuwedeng kailangan lang ba Senado yung kanilang tatakbuhan?" he said.

The Speaker, however, acknowledged that there may be some disagreements over voting jointly or separately in a constituent assembly, as the 1987 Constitution is "silent" on this issue.

He, however, believes that the assembly should be voting jointly.

“Kung mayroong mag-question, well of course, justiciable issue iyan, pupunta sa Supreme Court iyan,” he said.

In the same interview, Alvarez raised the possibility that no election as part of the anticipated transition to a federal system. —NB, GMA News