Padilla urges Senate leaders to hold cha-cha talks with House counterparts

Senate constitutional amendments and revision of codes chairman Robin Padilla has appealed to the leaders of the Senate to immediately conduct a meeting with their counterparts in the House of Representatives to deliberate the preferred mode of amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Last Monday, Padilla sent separate letters to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III asking them to respond to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’ suggestion to sit down and discuss the Upper Chamber's push to amend the charter via a constituent assembly (con-ass).

“With the foregoing, I sincerely hope that the leadership of our beloved institutions, led by your representation, will forge ahead and make a move to respond to the suggestion of the House of Representatives to sit together and deliberate on the matter, ultimately, for the benefit of our countrymen,” Padilla’s letter read.

"I encourage and appeal for our collaborative effort towards a common goal of achieving a more vibrant and dynamic economy for our people," he added.

The House of Representatives is seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution through a constitutional convention (con-con) while Padilla is pushing for a con-ass mode.

GMA News Online sought the comments of Zubiri, Villanueva, and Pimentel on the matter but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Legarda said she’s yet to read Padilla’s letter, but she stated that a charter change is not a priority at the moment.

“There’s a time for everything and I personally feel that the issue of changing the constitution may not be here and now. It's not for now,” she said.

Right now, Legarda said the government must focus on the oil problem, unemployment, and pandemic-related problems, among others.

She also noted that there are three recently passed economic laws that could address the so-called restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. —VAL, GMA Integrated News