By Liza Soriano
MANILA — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III emphasized the impossibility and unconstitutionality of excluding the Senate from Charter Change (Cha-cha).
“It’s impossible and not just unconstitutional to exclude the Senate when amending the Constitution. Hindi lang po unconstitutional, impossible pa,” Pimentel stated in a CNN Philippines interview.
Pimentel reacted to the House’s proposal advocating for Charter change, suggesting that the Senate need not cooperate.
He also predicted that such an “attitude” from fellow lawmakers would lead to Senate rejection of the proposal.
“Kung ganyan kasi ang attitude ng ating mga kaibigan sa House at ina-announce nila ‘yan, all the more they will really lose support of the senators,” he remarked.
“You will even now see senators explaining the issue to the people and telling the people why what the House is doing is unconstitutional. So, ‘wag na nilang gawin ‘yan kasi palayo na tayo nang palayo sa mga real problems confronting our people,” he added.
Earlier, House Speaker Martin Romualdez indicated plans to revisit the 1987 Constitution in 2024.
“I believe 2024 will allow us again to revisit the whole issue of the Constitution because I think it’s timely that we revisit, and I’d say we’d like to focus very much on the economic provisions,” Romualdez said.
“We will be studying this during our Christmas break. And perhaps there might be some initiatives even during the break that would prepare us for the ensuing year, and perhaps what would be our legacy in the 19th Congress (2022-2025),” the Speaker added.
(ai/mnm)
