By Junex Doronio

MANILA — While the Senate and the House of Representatives have to finalize the mode of effecting charter change (Cha-Cha), Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has admitted that it could also be an opportunity to amend portions of the Constitution to strengthen the country’s territorial integrity.

Talks of Cha-Cha resurfaced after Romualdez and Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. confirmed that the House leadership intended to tackle charter change proposals by early 2024.

“That’s why we will exhaust all means — not only to open up the Constitution to further encourage more foreign direct investments so that more jobs [and] livelihood would be created in the country, giving better lives and livelihood to all Filipinos,  but we shall also further the ends of our interest internationally by enforcing our territorial integrity,” Romualdez said.

He added that Cha-Cha is aimed to materialize the turnover of investment pledges from foreign businesses secured from foreign trips of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Romualdez said he believes that amending the Constitution would open up the economy. 

On Tuesday, December 19, Romualdez revealed in an interview with Radyo 630 that Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri will support moves to amend the Constitution through a people’s initiative or PI.

The Speaker from Leyte said Zubiri is amenable with PI — one of the three charter change methodologies available in the country. The other two are Constitutional Assembly (Con-Ass) and Constitutional Convention (Con-Con).

(IA/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

DESPITE HER RECENT CONGRATULATORY remarks on the high trust rating of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may still lose her post as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives if she does not dare to openly assail former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for calling the lower chamber as “the most rotten institution.”

Unconfirmed rumors swirled at the House of Representatives that Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano will likely fill in the anticipated vacancy in the Deputy Speaker post if FPGMA remains silent and her loyalty to the institution that she’s a member of also remains “dubious”.

“I would like to congratulate House Speaker and Lakas President Martin Romualdez on the recent OCTA Research Report reflecting a +6% increase in Trust Rating to 60%,” FPGMA said in a statement last November 2.

Macapagal-Arroyo’s congratulatory remarks on Romualdez caught many by surprise as the former president is widely known to be the political mentor of Vice President Sara Duterte who is also casting a moist eye on the 2028 presidency.

But she still reportedly refused to join the House leadership in condemning FPRRD for maligning the lower chamber and even threatening ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro whom he accused as “communist”.

(ai/mnm)