Senate reso seeks separate voting in amending Constitution

Senator Robin Padilla on Monday filed a resolution seeking separate voting by the two houses of Congress in amending the Constitution.

Through Resolution of Both Houses 7, Padilla sought to amend Section 1 of Article XVII (Amendments or Revisions) in the Constitution to have both houses of Congress vote separately in approving changes in the Charter.

In a statement, Padilla, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, said the resolution aims to "finally address the long-standing issue of whether the Senate and House of Representatives should vote separately or jointly in amending the 1987 Constitution."

"There is a need to amend the aforementioned provision in order to be consistent with the intention of the framers of the Constitution to adopt a bicameral legislature and to leave no room for interpretation as to the manner of voting which over the years have caused disputes among both the Senate and House of Representatives," he said.

Under RBH 7, Padilla proposed that Section 1 of Article XVII be amended to allow any amendment to — or revision of — the 1987 Constitution to be proposed by Congress, "by a vote of three-fourths of both Houses in joint session assembled, voting separately; or a constitutional convention."

Padilla filed the resolution amid the ongoing rift between the Senate and the House of Representatives stemming from the people’s initiative efforts that seek to have the two chambers of Congress vote together when approving changes to the 1987 Constitution by a three-fourths vote. 

Senators fear the method would put them in an unfavorable position as the Senate only has 24 members compared to the over 300 House membership, which means senators can easily be outvoted.

The Senate on Monday started its deliberations on Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, which seeks to amend restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

According to Padilla, there is need to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution "to remove stumbling blocks to progress."

He said that while framers of the 1987 Charter promoted a "Filipino First" principle, this may no longer be fit during the time of globalization.

During the start of the deliberations, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate will set the pace on tackling RBH 6. 

RBH No. 6 seeks to amend some 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."

Last week, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe challenged the Senate to fast-track the passage of RBH No. 6 to end the ongoing people's initiative.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said that the Senate will conduct "exhaustive hearings" on RBH 6. —KBK, GMA Integrated News