Marikina City 2nd Rep. Stella Quimbo (left), Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Issues on the availability of resource persons caused the discussions of the Committee of the Whole on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.7 to be postponed to Monday, Feb. 26. 

House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe and Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo shared this detail to reporters in a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 21, the day that the deliberations on the pro-Charter change (Cha-cha) measure was supposed to begin. 

"It was already announced that we have rescheduled the Committee of the Whole hearing to Monday. It is for the reason that we have already been inviting the resource persons and they will be available on Monday," Dalipe said. 

Quimbo, senior vice chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations, told reporters: "As you know, napaka-importante ng inputs ng ating mga resource persons sa panukalang batas na to." 

(The inputs of the resource persons are very important to this measure.) 

However, the two officials couldn't give a list of the invited guests as of this posting. 

It was previously announced during plenary session Tuesday night that RBH No.7 would be taken up at 1 p.m. Wednesday by the 300-plus strong House acting as a Committee of the Whole.  

Dalipe and Quimbo underscored that the Committee of the Whole set-up shouldn't be construed as an attempt to "shortcut" the process of Cha-cha in the House. 

"Just to assure you hindi po kami shumo-shortcut. In fact po parang repeat performance na lang pinagawa namin because nga paulit ulit napo namin ginawa ito," said the economist-solon. 

(We're not doing a shortcut. In fact this is like a repeat performance because we've done this repeatedly.) 

Dalipe said the plan for the Committee of the Whole is to hold at least three per week. 

CLICK HERE:

https://mb.com.ph/2023/3/13/a-short-timeline-cha-cha-in-the-house-19th-congress-edition

"Kung shortcut eh di hindi na kami maghe-hearing three times a week, di ba? (If this was a shortcut, we wouldn't hold hearings three times a week, right?). In fact some of the resource persons we'll be inviting again for the nth time, pabalik-balik na lang kami (We're redoing it again)." 

Dalipe and Quimbo were referring to the House's efforts in passing RBH No.6 earlier in the 19th Congress. On March 6, 2023, RBH No.6 was approved on third and final reading via vote of 301-6-1 (yes-no-abstain). 

Before this, the Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez-chaired Committee on Constitutional Amendments carried out multiple hearings on the measure, including public consultations in a handful of provinces. 

Dalipe says the thrice-a-week hearings will "show our seriousness and...desire to push for those economic provisions". 

"With three hearings a week, I'm sure we'll be able to act with dispatch on this measure," he said. 

The House filed-RBH No.7 and RBH No.6 espouses the Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) and Constitutional Convention (Con-Con) modes, respectively, in the bid to amend the Constitution.