Romualdez: House majority backs Senate's push for Charter change

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 26) — House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Thursday said a majority of House members are in "full support" of the Senate's push to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

"As the head of the House of the people, together with the deputy speakers, majority leader, and minority leader, reiterates our full support with the Senate in their filing and eventual passage of RBH No. 6," he wrote in a letter addressed to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The Resolution of Both Houses or the RBH No. 6 is a Senate-led discussion on Charter change that is currently suspended due to the continued push to amend the Charter through people's initiative from the House.

Romualdez' letter to Zubiri was written a few days after the Senate released a manifesto, signed by all 24 lawmakers, rejecting the House-led push for constitutional amendments. Senators warned that the "sinister" attempt to change the Constitution through a people’s initiative will "exploit" the country's democratic process.

The controversial signature campaign to amend the Constitution also gained criticisms from lawmakers, groups, and the public for alleged bribery and vote-buying.

READ: Imee Marcos: ₱20 million offered per district to buy votes for Cha-Cha

The Senate added that the people's initiative will also destabilize the system of checks and balances, given that the upper chamber only has 24 votes against the 316 members of the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Romualdez said the lower chamber "pledge and commit" to support an alternative people's initiative led by the Senate in a bid to amend economic provisions in the Constitution.