Proposed RBH 8 filed seeking to extend term of House members

Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative Angelo Marcos Barba has filed Resolution of Both Houses 8 that seeks to extend the term of members of the House of Representatives.

The amendment seeks to grant members of the House of Representatives a five-year term with one re-election.

The current term runs for three years and members of the House can serve up to three consecutive terms, as specified in Article VI, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution.

House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairperson Rufus Rodriguez said the House will not consider political amendments.

“I think the House leadership will not favor this proposal. The Speaker has repeatedly declared that the push for Charter reform at this time is confined to amending the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions,” Rodriguez said.

The House had earlier approved two Resolutions of Both Houses for economic Charter change which are pending in the Senate.

Barba defended his proposed measure, saying it will redound to the benefit of the public.

“Limiting the term of House Members to two consecutive five-year terms can significantly enhance legislative stability and continuity. By reducing the frequency of elections, representatives can dedicate ample focus on implementing more effective, long-term policies. This approach also offers substantial cost savings in the long run due to reduced election expenses,” Barba said.

Reacting to comments from some legislators that his resolution is self-serving, Barba told GMA Integrated News: “Yes, of course! It will look like self-serving but it causes a lot of disruptions when it’s every 3 years.”

Barba is President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s cousin. When asked if the president was aware that he would be filing the said resolution, Barba replied, “No. I’ve been wanting to file this since 2019.”

Impractical

In a separate statement, House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City lawmaker Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe rejected Barba’s proposal, saying it is not in accordance with the advocacy of the House led by Speaker Martin Romualdez that calls for amending the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions to increase foreign investments.

“We are sticking with that advocacy, because that is what we think will be good for the country and that is what we believe the people will accept. A proposed constitutional amendment that is political in nature, on the other hand, will surely divide our people. They will suspect self interest as the motivation behind such a proposal,” Dalipe said.

Likewise, Dalipe said Barba’s proposal is impractical.

“Procedurally, I am not sure if we can entertain another constitutional amendment resolution, although I believe the House is inclined to confine itself to economic Charter reforms,” Dalipe added.

The Senate version of Cha-cha is Resolution of Both Houses 6, while the House version is Resolution of Both Houses 7.

Both seek to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution by allowing more foreign ownership in vital industries such as education, advertising, and public utilities.

RBH 6, however, provides for separate voting for the House and the Senate in a constituent assembly. RBH 7, on the other hand, provides for the voting of all members of Congress.

The House already approved RBH 7 back in March, but the same initiative did not even reach sub-committee approval until former Senate President Miguel Zubiri’s ouster last May 20.

—With reports from Llanesca T. Panti/ KG/RSJ/ VAL, GMA Integrated News