Arroyo files resolution on separate voting in constituent assembly

August 7, 2018 | 8:57 pm

By Charmaine A. Tadalan

HOUSE SPEAKER Gloria M. Arroyo on Monday filed House Resolution No. 2056 expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that it is taking the Senate’s position on holding a separate vote when Congress convenes into a constituent assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Yes, this morning. It’s expressing the sense of the House that we will vote separately,” Speaker Arroyo told reporters in an ambush interview Tuesday.

The Speaker explained that the House should follow the procedure taken by the joint committees that deliberated on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“For instance, in the Bangsamoro Basic Law, there were three committees. It (BBL) gets heard all together; but the committees voted separately,” Ms. Arroyo said.

The Speaker could not yet give a timeline for the federal charter as this needs to be determined jointly by the two chambers of Congress.

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III welcomed the resolution, saying it “fortifies” the Senate position on the matter.

“But nevertheless, I will refer the resolution as soon as it’s transmitted to us, to our Committee on Constitutional Amendments and (Revision of) Codes,” Mr. Sotto also said, referring to the Senate panel headed by Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan.

Mr. Pangilinan in an interview with DzMM said “Well, maganda ‘yan (that’s good) on paper. But we have to be vigilant….What is to stop any congressman from going to the Supreme Court and questioning the voting separately resolution and telling (the high court that Congress should be) voting (jointly), dahil sinasabi ng Saligang Batas, hindi naman sinabing (because it’s not specified in the Constitution whether voting should be done) jointly or separately.”

Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr., for his part, said, “With House Speaker Arroyo’s resolution, I hope mawawala na ‘yung (this will remove the) stumbling block to Charter change.”

Also on Tuesday, the House panel on Constitutional Amendments was directed to await Congress convening into a constituent assembly.

“No committee hearings on the substance because we’ll leave that to the constituent assembly,” Ms. Arroyo said. “We do not come up with our draft. The assembly has to form its own rules (with) different committees discussing the different (draft charters).”

Leyte Representative and committee chair Vicente S.E. Veloso for his part said, “The process will be left to the Constituent Assembly because we cannot discuss the substance of the proposed provision without a procedure laid down and agreed upon by the Senate and the House.”

“We will just hear out our resource person, particularly on the point of how we can convince the Senate to join the House of Representatives in convening a ConAss,” Mr. Veloso also said.

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/arroyo-files-resolution-on-separate-voting-in-constituent-assembly/