(Eagle News) — The House of Representatives agreed to adopt a resolution that would convene Congress into a constituent assembly in preparation for the move to amend the 1987 Constitution.
In House concurrent resolution no. 9, both the Senate and the House of Representatives will constitute itself as a constituent assembly.
The resolution was sponsored by House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair Roger Mercado. It was approved by majority of the lawmakers and adopted via viva voce voting although members of the Makabayan bloc in Congress tried to oppose it.
The constituent assembly will “propose amendments to or revision of the Philippine Constitution.”
Rep. Marcado said that after House Concurrent Resolution 9 is approved, all recommendations, including the PDP-LABAN draft Constitution and those reforms or amendments submitted by House members would be discussed by the different committees based on the rules on con-ass.
House Resolution No. 9 will take the place of other resolutions on charter change in Congress, such as House resolution no. 8 by ABS Party-List Rep. Eugene De Vera and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzalez, Jr., who gave a draft of the “Proposed Constitution of the Federal Republic of the Philippines” last August 2, 2016.
As to the issue on whether the two chambers of Congress will vote as one or separately on constitutional amendment, Mercado invoked Article 17 of the Constitution.
“The Congress, upon the vote of all its members, so, both houses will be convened and upon a vote of three-fourth of all its members, meaning the House of Representatives and the Senate, then we can propose amendments to our Constitution,” Mercado said.
He said amending or revising the Constitution via con-ass is economical since it would only cost P204 million as against Constitutional Convention which would cost the government around P11 billion.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez stressed during the press briefing that the House’s push for constitutional amendment and the shift from unitary to federal system was not intended to perpetuate the House members into power.
“Kumbaga, it’s really important and timely to amend the Constitution. Part of the program of President Duterte and won overwhelming votes during the last election was his proposal to shift to federal system,” said Hernandez.
