Quezon 2nd district Rep. David “Jay-Jay” Suarez (Screenshot from live stream, House of Representatives’ Facebook page)

What changed?

Such is the question of House Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-Jay" Suarez to the incumbent Senators who once pushed for Charter change (Cha-cha) in the House of Representatives, but are now seemingly singing a different tune.

“I just feel a little bit slighted by some of the comments of our dear colleagues in the Senate, siguro kalahati sa kanila used to be congressmen (maybe half of them used to be congressmen),” Suarez said in a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 30.

Exactly 13 of the current slate of 24 Senators have previously served terms in the lower chamber. They are Senate President Migz Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, JV Ejercito, Mark Villar, Cynthia Villar, Risa Hontiveros, Sonny Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Win Gatchalian, and Imee Marcos.

“When they were congressmen, every Speaker that ever sat in this August chamber fought for constitutional reform. They supported the position of the Speaker when they were part of Congress,” claimed Suarez.

“How come now na senators na sila, all of a sudden tumetengga yung constitutional reform. Nasaan na yung position nila no’ng congressman sila, bakit nagbago?” he asked .

(How come now that they are senators, all of a sudden there is no movement in the constitutional reform. Where was the position they had when they were congressman, why did it change?)

The ranking congressman noted that even Senator Robinhood Padilla had sought constitutional revision. However, it appears that this initiative is dead in the water.

“Is Senate really sincere with changing, improving, upgrading the Constitution? Because if they are, then they should have done it,” Suarez said.

The Senators' perceived fears on possible political amendments to the Constitution are baseless, according to the Quezon lawmaker.

He pushed the Senate to act urgently toward the passage of Resolution of Both Houses (RHB) No. 6 to loosen the restrictions in the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Suarez cited the National Economic and Defense Authority (NEDA), Department of Finance (DOF), and the foreign community group of investors as some of the figures currently pushing for Cha-cha in a bid to improve the Philippines’ economic standing in Southeast Asia.

“It’s up to the Senate to prove the Filipino people that they are sincere to their position,” he added.