Robin to Senate leaders: Discuss economic 'Cha-cha' with House counterparts
Senator Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla on Wednesday, March 29, appealed to the Senate leadership for a "collaborative effort" with the House of Representatives in deciding on the preferred mode of amending economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Padilla, chairman of the Senate constitutional amendments committee, made the appeal in letters sent to Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III.
He noted House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had expressed openness for the House to discuss with the Senate the mode of amending the Constitution, particularly through a Constituent Assembly (Con Ass).
"With the foregoing, I sincerely hope that the leadership of our beloved institution, led by your representation, will forge ahead and make a move to respond to the suggestion of the House of Representatives to sit together and deliberate on the matter, ultimately, for the benefit of our countrymen," he said in his letter.
"I encourage, and appeal for our collaborative effort towards a common goal of achieving a more vibrant, and dynamic economy for our people," he added.
Earlier, Padilla chaired eight hybrid public hearings of his committee  to take up proposed amendments to the Charter's economic amendments.
The hearings were held in the Senate and in the cities of Baguio, Davao and Cebu.
Padilla is pushing for amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, via a Constituent Assembly timed with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this October.
On the other hand, Padilla gained the unequivocal support of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to the legislative efforts of both Houses of Congress in reforming the Constitution.
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