Press Release - Opening Statement of Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva

I think it is important to note na ang Senado ay tunay na may isang salita.

We began our hearing today consistent with our commitment, the commitment of our Senate President to the President, to explore and study amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution. These will be exhaustive hearings. Unlike itong pekeng PI, hindi naman ito iru-rush. We will do it right and we will follow our timetable--one that ensures that all voices are heard. These will be transparent; our people will know what is going on and what we are talking about. Wala po tayong itatago dito at higit sa lahat wala pong kalokohan gaya ng mga nadiskubre ng ating mga kasamahan noong nagpunta sila sa Davao with Senator Imee, Senator Bato and Senator Bong Go.

Ang Senado po kasi uulitin ko ay may isang salita. This was our commitment from the very beginning, and we only went off-track because of this ill-fated "Pekeng Initiative" that was pushed by some quarters with the support of the House of Representatives. Klaro po yan. Wala naman na pong naniniwala na sa kanila na wala silang kinalaman dito.

We have been told that if the Senate will tackle RBH 6, goodbye PI na raw. Gayunpaman, we will continue to be vigilant. Habang nakatutok kami dito sa RBH 6 hearings, todo bantay pa rin tayo sa galaw ng mga kasamahan natin sa House. Experience has taught us that what they say in the House and what they do can be two different things. We will make sure their words and actions are consistent.

These are parallel efforts that aim to protect the processes involved in amending our charter. While we make sure that RBH 6 sticks to the original intention to amend only the economic provisions of the Constitution, we will also continue to be proactive in our measures to thwart unconstitutional cha-cha efforts. Kasama dito ang investigation dyan na pinangungunahan ni Senator Imee Marcos.

Linawin ko lang po kasi yung sinasabing "ceasefire", eh "ceasefire" sa usapin ng PI, kaya we will refrain from debating on this issue. Pero yung "ceasefire" po does not mean "cease working" or "stop the PI inquiry." Kasi syempre kung may nakita po tayong sablay. Tumatawa po si Senator Bato kasi ang dami na niyang nakitang