Solon urges Senate vote on Cha-cha measure before midterms

Responding to the declaration that the Charter change resolution was not on the list of priority measures that the Senate was looking to pass before the Second Regular Session of Congress adjourns, Lanao del Norte First District Representative Khalid Dimaporo said on Tuesday that he hoped that senators would vote on the measure before the 2025 midterm polls.

“The general directive of our leadership is we will let the Senate take the lead. If that is how the Senate feels about it, there’s nothing we can do but respect that it is not their priority," said Dimaporo.

"But as a registered voter who voted for 12 senators, before the end of this year or the midterms (May 2025 election), I would hope to see them vote on this.”

Dimaporo explained that voters deserve to know the senators' views on the matter by their vote. 

"That is the work of the legislator. We vote yes or no. I hope, before the next elections, the Senators will come out to say their vote for the benefit of the Filipino people," the representative added.

Last March 20, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading Resolution of Both Houses 7 (RBH 7) which seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution and allow foreign ownership in vital industries.

The Senate version of the measure, RBH 6, is identical to RBH 7, except that RBH 7 explicitly states that the House and the Senate would vote separately on proposed constitutional amendments in a constituent assembly.

However, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Monday that RBH 6 was not on the list of priority measures that the Senate was looking to pass before sine die break.

Meanwhile, House Deputy Majority Leader Migs Nograles of the PBA party-list and House Assistant Majority Leader Zia Adiong of Lanao del Sur said the Senate’s move was tantamount to a refusal to see the merits of the measure.

“It is really up to them if Cha-cha is dead. What is really their intention here? They don’t [even] want to talk about it,” Nograles said.

“It shows that job creation, exchange of skills and expertise that would generate income for our country and level up the standards of education is not their priority while those are the priorities of the House. We should be led with hope and optimism, not fear and apprehension,” Adiong added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News