The House of Representatives has delivered on its commitment to approve Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.7--its economic Charter change (Cha-cha) measure--before the Holy Week recess.
On Wednesday night, March 20, the House voted 288-8-2 (yes-no-abstain) to pass the landmark measure on third and final reading.
House fulfills promise to pass RBH 7 before Holy Week break; what will happen next?
Mar 20, 2024 10:33 AM
At a glance
House of Representatives (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The House of Representatives has delivered on its commitment to approve Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.7--its economic Charter change (Cha-cha) measure--before the Holy Week recess.
On Wednesday night, March 20, the House voted 288-8-2 (yes-no-abstain) to pass the landmark measure on third and final reading, even as their senator-colleagues seem to dawdle on their counterpart measure.
Perhaps just as important as the House's third-reading passage of RBH No.7 is how it was passed: a whopping 288 out of the 309 listed House members gave an affirmative vote during nominal voting in plenary.
Being a measure about constitutional revision, RBH No.7 needed a three-fourths vote--or roughly 232 affirmative votes--for it to be passed.
It should be noted that the number 288 can cover the three-fourths vote requirement for the entire Philippine Congress--meaning, the House of Representatives and the Senate--the vagueness of the voting procedure in the existing 1987 Constitution notwithstanding.
The Senate, which is still discussing the counterpart measure, RBH No.6 in the subcommittee level, only has 24 members. A three-fourths vote in the Senate is 18.
House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe suggested earlier this week the transmission of RBH No.7 to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as the next lawful step after it gets approved.
If carried out, this leaves open the possibility that Comelec could schedule a plebiscite for the proposed lifting of the restrictive economic provisions of the Charter, even without the passage of the much smaller Senate's RBH No.6.
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At any rate, the House has accomplished yet another Cha-cha measure, and all eyes shift to what the Senate will do next.
RBH No.7 is an exact copy of the Senate's RBH No.6, which proposes amendments to Articles XII, XIV and XVI, focusing on the national patrimony, economy, education and general provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
The measures essentially seek to ease the restrictive economic provisions of the existing Charter--a decades-long desire of the House members.
RBH No.6 was filed on Jan. 15, 2024--over a month ahead of RBH No.7.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Deputy Speaker Quezon 2nd district Rep. David "Jay-jay" Suarez said he remains hopeful of dialogue with the senators on the topic of economic Cha-cha during the Lenten break, which will officially run from March 22 to April 28.
"I think what's hindering us from achieving that (common goal on Cha-cha) is the processes and certain impediments that can only be addressed kung makakapag-usap yung dalawa (if the two chambers can talk). So I'm still very hopeful.
"So mukhang maganda po talagang outlook ang positivity pagdating sa pag-uusap ng dalawang chamber (So I think the outlook is really positive when it comes to dialogue between the two chambers)," Suarez said.