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

Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd district Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez questioned the intentions of the Senate over its proposal to bring the discussions on the proposed economic amendments to the 1987 Constitution to various locations in Visayas and Mindanao.

“It’s gonna take so much time if they plan to go around and do a road show,” Suarez said during a press briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

“There’s a lot of ways of saying you’re in favor and you are not; so I hope this is not one way of saying that they’re not in favor,” he stressed.

On Monday, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes was planning to conduct public consultations on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.6 so that they can come up with a “well-informed decision” on Charter change (Cha-cha).

These dialogues are planned to take place in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao; and Cebu City, Iloilo City, or Bacolod in Visayas.

Instead of going through with this proposal, Suarez says that it’s better to invite the various resource persons to the committee hearings in the Senate so that Congress as a whole can “act on a quicker pace”.

“Maliwanag naman yung mensahe ni Presidente last week (The President's message last week was clear), he is for Charter amendments, specifically on economic provisions and this does not need any delay on the part of the Senate or the part of the House,” the ranking solon said.

During a speech on Feb. 8, President Marcos announced that his administration was open to amending the 1987 Constitution as long as its only for the economic provisions.

Meanwhile, Suarez told senators to be more forthcoming about their timeline so that it won’t overlap with the budget season in the House of Representatives, which starts on June.

He noted that the window to operationalize Charter amendments will essentially close on the President’s next State of the Nation Address (SONA), which is scheduled on July 22, 2024.

“Kaya ako talaga pagdating sa Senado, palalampasin ko itong Valentine’s [Day], mahal ko pa rin kayo kaso ang mensahe ko lang, bilis-bilisan niyo lang ang trabaho ninyo,” added Suarez.

(So when it comes to the Senate, I will give it a pass his Valentine's [Day], I still love you, my only message is, just hurry up with your work.)