Bad faith

It’s amazing how an existential threat can unite a chamber whose members normally behave like independent republics.

In a rare move, all 24 senators signed a manifesto last Tuesday, opposing the continuing signature gathering for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution.

Even the staunch pro-Charter change senator, Robinhood Padilla, signed the manifesto against the people’s initiative, which never stopped despite a statement attributed to President Marcos that this route to Cha-cha is “too divisive.”

That supposed quote by Marcos was announced by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri following their meeting at Malacañang on Jan. 9 together with BBM’s cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez. The Speaker has been openly accused by some senators of being behind a campaign to stampede the Senate, through the signature campaign, into going along with Cha-cha.

Either something got lost in translation and Zubiri misheard or misinterpreted “too divisive,” or Marcos gets no respect from the minions behind the people’s initiative. Almost as soon as news spread about BBM’s supposed disenchantment with the initiative, the lead convenor of the group behind the PI said it would continue.

There was another meeting on Jan. 11, Zubiri disclosed, which was attended by Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. and BBM’s congressman son, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.

Zubiri had announced that in their discussions, President Marcos had tasked the Senate to “take the lead” in Cha-cha, ostensibly to avert a constitutional crisis between the two chambers of Congress. Zubiri also disclosed, without providing details, that he had a “colorful and vigorous” discussion that “became quite heated” with Romualdez.

The Speaker is suspected by his opponents of maneuvering a shift to a parliamentary system where he can serve as prime minister.

As interpreted by Zubiri, the agreement with BBM was for the Senate – with the House going along – to amend specific economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution, effectively through legislation. Maybe Zubiri heard only what he wanted to hear.

Romualdez reportedly said at the meeting that all he wanted was to amend economic