Entire House tackles economic Cha-cha today
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will convene today the committee of the whole to deliberate on the proposed economic Charter change.
The committee will be convened to expedite discussions on the Resolution of Both Houses 7 or the House version of economic Cha-cha, according to Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr.
“The conversion of the House into a committee of the whole, which is like a plenary session, aims to involve every one of our colleagues in discussions with our resource persons. This will facilitate proceedings leading to an eventual approval or rejection of the proposed amendments,” he explained.
This means the House leadership will be doing away with the usual legislative mill, where measures are deliberated at the committee level before lawmakers vote and elevate such to the plenary for all House members to debate and cast their votes.
Several resource persons, including economists, have been invited to the initial debates at 1 p.m. There will be three hearings weekly. Proposals will be voted on before Congress’ Holy Week break starting March 22, Gonzales said.
Gonzales’ RBH7 co-authors are Deputy Speakers David Suarez, Kristine Singson-Meehan and Antonio Albano; Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe; Senior Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos and Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Jude Acidre, Elizaldy Co and Luis Raymund Villafuerte, among others.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri had promised President Marcos that their bill on economic Cha-cha, Resolution of Both Houses 6, would be passed before Congress goes on a Lenten break next month.
RBH6 is co-authored by Senators Sonny Angara and Loren Legarda.
The Senate’s RBH6 and the House’s RBH7 are nearly identical save for the voting provision, in which senators added the phrase “each House voting separately.”
Gonzales said this was dropped in RBH7 “because those four words are not in the Constitution.”
“We in the House chose to be true to our Constitution by quoting exactly what it says, no more, no less. If they say joint voting is unconstitutional, separate voting is also against the Charter because it is not there. Let the experts interpret this provision,” he asserted.
