Pangilinan reiterates Senate won't rush Cha-cha amid House resolution

Senator Francis Pangilinan reiterated Friday that the Senate will not rush any initiative to amend the Constitution amid the resolution approved by the House of Representatives proposing revisions to the 1987 Constitutions.

Pangilinan, committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes chairperson, said senators have agreed to take their time in discussing the Charter change.

“There is a consensus amongst senators, whether in the majority or the minority, Charter change and the proposed shift to federalism has far-reaching and serious economic and political consequences, and therefore cannot be rushed,” he said in a press statement.

He was referring to a caucus held in July where the senators agreed to extensively discuss the proposed amendments to the Constitution. 

Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the proposed Charter change is “dead in the water, we will not tackle it in the Senate.”

Senator Panfilo Lacson, for his part, believed the resolution passed by the House is too politicized.

“Parang masyadong politicized dahil nawala na ‘yung term limits etc. Kaya nga rin kami nakabantay,” he said. 

Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 15, principally authored by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, seeks for a shift to a federal form of government and the removal of the term limits for lawmakers.

It was earlier returned to the House committee on constitutional amendments to amend the transitory provision excluding the vice president in the line of succession in case the President is removed, resigns or is permanently incapacitated to perform his duties.

Under the draft federal charter proposed by the measure, the form and structure of the government will be a presidential-bicameral-federal system.

Members of the legislative branch will have a term of four years with no term limits, as opposed to the current term of three years in the 1987 Constitution. —LDF, GMA News