SENIOR Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. today asked Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to keep his promise to have proposed amendments to the Constitution’s “restrictive” economic provisions approved by his chamber by March this year.
Gonzales said he was worried that some senators may use the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to indefinitely postpone the acceptance of people’s initiative signatures as an excuse to delay voting on Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 authored principally by Zubiri.
“Kaya ang sabi nila, there’s a development yesterday (Monday)…na sinuspend na ng Comelec ang pagtanggap ng mga signature, and I repeat, sinasabi nila and few senators na pigilan ninyo yung pirma. At yan may development…na suspend na nga, so yun ang sinasabi ko. They promised us with the Speaker na ipasa nila yung RBH No. 6 before March,” he told a news conference.
Zubiri’s RBH No. 6 is entitled, “A Resolution of Both Houses of Congress proposing amendments to certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, particularly on Articles XII, XIV and XVI.”
Zubiri’s co-authors are Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Edgardo Angara.
Gonzales recalled that last Jan. 23, during the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic at the Barasaoin Church in Malolos City, Bulacan, Zubiri and Legarda had promised to have the Senate adopt RBH No. 6 before the Holy Week adjournment of Congress on March 22.
“Nasa Malolos kami with the Speaker and Senator Legarda and Senator (Mark) Villar, that time na pinapakiusap na if you will stop PI- na wala naman kaming pakialam dun sa PI – na they will embrace RBH No. 6, and they will pass it before March,” he said.
He said approval of the resolution would require a three-fourths vote of the Senate, or at least 18 senators.
“I hope they can muster that vote for the sake of our country, our economy and our people. We really need to hasten the entry of investments in our country. Ang worry ko lang, baka si Bro., si Senator Migz, hindi niya makukuha yun, yun lang ang iniisip ko,” he said.
Gonzales welcomed the decision of the Senate to start tackling the Zubiri-Legarda-Angara resolution tomorrow (Wednesday).
“That’s a good development. Sana tuloy-tuloy yung hearings nila so they can meet their self-imposed deadline,” he said.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and leaders of major political parties belonging to the majority have committed to quickly adopt RBH No. 6 as soon as the Senate sends it to the House.
Earlier, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who chairs the House committee on constitutional amendments, said the two chambers of Congress have enough time before their Holy Week break to approve the Charter reform resolution.
