Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. (Facebook)

The House of Representatives will look for ways to move the Cha-cha train forward, since it appears to be stuck at the Senate's station. 

Thus, said Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. as he backstopped Speaker Martin Romualdez's pronouncement that the House would revive discussions on Charter change (Cha-cha) in 2024. 

The reason for revisiting the talks for constitutional revision next year is simple, according to Gonzales. 

"Napaka-dali sana kung economic provisions lang eh nandoon na sa Senado. Pero still hindi yata gumagalaw pa sa Senado kaya we’re thinking of another mode," Gonzales told House reporters in a chance interview Tuesday, Dec. 12. 

(It would have been easy if we're only talking about economic provisions, it's already in the Senate. But still, it doesn't seem to be moving yet at the Senate, we’re thinking of another mode.) 

Gonzales appeared to be referring to House Bill (HB) No. 7352, which the lower chamber transmitted to the Senate back in March 2023. 

The full title of HB No. 7352. "An Act implementing Resolution of Both Houses No.6 of the Congress of the Philippines calling for a Constitutional Convention (Con-con) to propose amendments to, or revision of, the 1987 Constitution, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes".  

With this, the House effectively chose the Con-con mode in amending the existing Charter. The proponents' selling point then was the lifting of the restrictive economic provision of the 1987 Constitution, which was hope to bring in more foreign direct investments (FDI) to the country. 

Gonzales acknowledged that there are three ways that Congress--the House and the Senate--can carry out Cha-cha. 
 

READ THIS:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/12/cha-cha-ain-t-dead-house-to-revive-talks-on-constitutional-revision-in-2024-says-romualdez

"That is part of the mode that we are going to tackle, what mode. If that is a con-con again, a Con-ass (Constituent Assembly), or PI (People's initiative), and we have three modes here. So I think we have to start early next year, so wait na lang po tayo kung ano ang isa-start natin (Let’s just wait on what we will start)," he said. 

As if to further justify Cha-cha revival, Gonzales said: "Ito na lang ang sasabihin ko: Bagong Konstitusyon ng Bagong Pilipinas (All I will say is this: A new Constitution for the New Philippines)." 

"So papaano ka magtatrabaho kung Bagong Pilipinas kung luma ‘yong ating Konstitusyon.  Kaya that’s our objective: Our objective is Bagong Konstitusyon ng Bagong Pilipinas (So how will the New Philippines work if our Constitution is old. That is our objective: Our objective is to have a new Constitution for the New Philippines)."
 

Bagong Pilipinas is the Marcos administration’s attempt at a government rebrand. It was launched earlier this year.

But when asked if the House's Cha-cha revival had the support of President Marcos, Gonzales said there's a hard delineation between the work of the executive and legislative. 

"Well, this (House) is a legislative work, and that’s a different body, that’s [the] executive (President Marcos), and I think the legislative will be the one to initiate this caucus."