Angara: No political provisions to be tackled in Senate Cha-cha hearing

Senator Sonny Angara assured the public Thursday that the Senate deliberations on Charter change (Cha-cha) will not include amendments to political provisions.

"Maganda 'yung gagawin ng Senado dahil limitado lamang sa economic amendments ito. 'Di katulad ng [people's initiative] na walang limitasyon... kung sakaling ma-amyendahan ang paraan ng botohan sa pag-amyenda ng Saligang Batas," Angara said.

"Hindi tatalakayin ng ating subcommittee ang amyendang pampulitika," he added.

(The Senate's deliberations on Charter change will be limited to economic amendments unlike in the people's initiative, that seeks to change the procedure on voting in a Constituent Assembly, where there will be no limitations in amending the Charter. The Senate sub-committee will not tackle political amendments to the Constitution.)

On Wednesday, the Senate created a subcommittee under the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes to tackle Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) which was filed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, and Angara.

RBH No. 6 seeks to amend  certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, particularly Articles XII, XIV, and XVI.

The constitutional provisions on public services, education, and advertising industry will be amended by adding the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law."

Angara, who will chair the subcommittee, said they will pay particular attention to the contents of RBH 6 to ensure a "focused and limited" discussion.

The Senate panel will also invite "a wide sector of society and the political spectrum to ensure health discussion and debate," Angara added.

House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe, for his part, insisted that the House’s push for Cha-cha is not about term extension, but economic development contrary to the claim of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

He was referring to Duterte’s comment that the House’s Cha-cha call is aimed at perpetuating President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in power.

“Let’s stop resorting to such stories and other shenanigans. We are happy that the Senate is now going to deliberate on it (RBH 6) because we have been waiting for it for so long,” Dalipe said.

“The suspicion that we are trying to do this to have somebody become a prime minister or something, records will prove otherwise. I’m challenging those who are accusing the House of Representatives of trying to put in this, you know, pushing for this constitutional amendments or changes in our Constitution…show us proof that we are the ones pushing for political changes. We challenge them to check the records of the Senate of what we transmitted,” he added.

Back in March 2023, the House adopted Resolution of Both Houses 6 which seeks to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution by electing delegates in a Constitutional Convention, whose members will draft the new Constitution. 

—with reports from Llanesca T. Panti/AOL, GMA Integrated News