By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News
Published January 13, 2021 6:03pm
Updated January 13, 2021 8:26pm The Senate leadership on Wednesday said the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments was not yet sitting as a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) when they resumed the hearing on proposed amendments to the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution earlier in the day. Congress is on a break, the only way a Con-Ass can be initiated and considered to sit as one, is if it s done in plenary and session assembled, Senate President Vicente Sotto III told reporters in a Viber message. He pointed out that Congress is scheduled to resume session this coming Monday, and that committee chair Alfredo Garbin Jr s panel is only conducting a simple committee hearing.
By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News
Published January 13, 2021 8:25pm The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Wednesday resumed its deliberations on the proposed amendments to the restrictive economic provisions to the 1987 Constitution. The said amendments are contained in Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 authored no less than by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. In resuming the so-called economic Charter change (Cha-cha), both Velasco and House panel chair Alfredo Garbin Jr. had one thing in mind: lifting the restrictions in the economic provisions in the Constitution would help the country rise from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, some critics from both Congress and the public in general questioned the timing of the hearings amid the global health crisis, while others expressed fear that this would only pave the way for the introduction of political amendments to the Constitution like term extension for some elected officials or lifting their term limits.
Published January 12, 2021, 5:43 PM
After blowing hot and cold on bills proposing to amend the 1987 Constitution for over a year now, the leadership of the House of Representatives has finally made up its mind at concentrating on the passage of only one of the 13 pending proposals on Charter change.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco
(Lord Allan Velasco’s Office / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Alfredo Garbin disclosed Tuesday that only Resolution of Both Houses 02 authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco will be the lone legislative measure that will be discussed in Wednesday morning’s hearing by the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.
Former Vice President Jejomar Binay
Last week, the House of Representatives announced that it will be resuming its deliberation on amending the 1987 Constitution through a Constituent Assembly. The move is said to be a priority of the current House leadership, and with this imprimatur, one can expect little or no opposition from the members of the lower chamber.
At the Senate, a senator is said to have filed a similar measure to convene a Constituent Assembly. The members of the upper chamber, according to news reports, are set to hold a caucus to discuss how they would proceed with the proposal. What stands out, however, is the rather muted and guarded response of some senators to charter change, a contrast to their immovable and united opposition in the past.