House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe (Facebook)

House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe has brushed off as "baseless speculations" the allegations that Speaker Martin Romualdez is the one behind the People’s Initiative (PI) movement. 

Dalipe did so on Monday, Jan. 22, which marked the first day of sessions in Congress following the House members and senators' five-week holiday break. 

Incidentally, the Senate leadership announced last week that it had filed Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.6, which called for a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) for the purpose of amending the 1987 Constitution. 

"We hope that the Senate can approve this soon so that we can end all these baseless speculations," Dalipe said. 

Before the filing of RBH No.6, a signature campaign for a PI had been taking place all over the country. 

There are some sectors that are linking the PI movement--which is supposed to be a purely civilian endeavor--to the House of Representatives headed by Romualdez. 

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https://mb.com.ph/2024/1/22/no-orders-from-romualdez-to-collect-signatures-for-people-s-initiative

"The Speaker has already thanked the Senate for finally taking action on our push to amend certain economic provisions of the Constitution. The House has been pushing this since 1987 and this has been an advocacy of the Speaker since he became a congressman and now as a Speaker," Dalipe said. 

He added that the Speaker had already committed to follow the direction of the Senate's RBH. 

Philippine Congress is composed of the House and the Senate. PI and Con-Ass are two modes by which Charter change or Cha-cha can be achieved.