Marcos' stand on people's initiative crucial to prevent 'political crisis' — Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Wednesday that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s clear stand on people's initiative is important to prevent a potential political crisis between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

"Para sa akin, napakahalaga ang sentimyento ng ating Pangulo dito at mahalaga na maiwasan itong potential political crisis, at mahalaga rin na ang Pangulo natin gamitin niya ang kanyang boses para maiwasan itong potential political crisis," Gatchalian said in a press conference at the Senate on Wednesday.

(For me, the President's stand is very important on this matter. It's important that a potential political crisis be averted. It's also important that the President use his voice to avoid a potential political crisis from happening.)

He warned that a standoff between the two houses of Congress might derail the administration's priority legislation, including the law on the annual budget of the country.

"Hindi maganda para sa Kongreso, Senate and the Lower House, na magkaroon ng ganitong hindi magandang relasyon dahil nga ang maisa-sakripisyo diyan ang mga mahalagang batas, mga mahalagang priority legislation, 'yung budget puwedeng masakripisyo diyan 'pag humaba ito. So magandang matanggal natin itong people's initiative, mas magandang babalik sa normal 'yung operations ng Kongreso as a whole," he added.

(It won't be good that Congress, the Senate and Lower House, have poor relations because the passage of our important laws, priority legislation will be sacrificed. The national budget may be sacrificed if this drags on. So it's better that we stop the people's initiative. Let us go back to normal operations in Congress as a whole.)

Although Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said that Marcos himself has opposed the ongoing people's initiative because it is "divisive," Marcos has yet to make an official public remark on the matter.

Apart from its possible effects on the priority legislation of the administration, Gatchalian warned that this might drive away potential investors in the Philippines because of the "uncertainties" in the political system of the country.

"Imagine niyo, ito ang pinakamataas na bodies ng Congress or pinaka-importanteng mga tao ng Kongreso—ang Senado at ang Kongreso—pero kung itong dalawa ay hindi magkakaroon ng magandang relasyon, pinapa-abolish 'yung isa, kung ikaw man ang negosyante hindi maganda ito dahil maraming uncertainty. Hindi natin alam kung saan pupunta itong bangayan eh," he said.

(Just imagine, these are the highest bodies or the most important people in Congress—Senate and the House. But if both of these do not have good relations, wherein one wants the other abolished, this wouldn't sit well if you were a businessman. We don't know where this rift will lead.)

Last week, Zubiri and two other senior senators filed Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

The filing of the resolution came after Marcos met with Zubiri, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and other House leaders where they reportedly agreed that the Senate will lead the passage of the amendments to the Charter, and the Lower House will adopt the measure.

However, the Senate sidelined the deliberations on the RBH 6 after noticing that the signature campaign for the people's initiative—which supposedly seeks to amend the Constitution to allow the members of Congress to vote jointly in a constituent assembly—still pushes through despite the agreement with the President.

The Senate then issued a manifesto on Tuesday expressing their strong opposition to the people's initiative, which they believe is pushed by the leaders of the House of Representatives.

Issuing a statement on the same day, Romualdez said the House of Representatives facilitates the democratic process of a people's initiative, but noted that this role excludes direct involvement in the signature collection. — VDV, GMA Integrated News