Romualdez confident Zubiri, Senate can muster 18 votes for Cha-cha passage
At A Glance
- Saying that the Senate has "always lived up to the challenge", House Speaker Martin Romualdez remains confident that the so-called upper chamber can still produce the 18 votes needed to approve Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.6.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left), Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (Speaker’s office)
Saying that the Senate has "always lived up to the challenge", House Speaker Martin Romualdez remains confident that the so-called upper chamber can still produce the 18 votes needed to approve Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.6.
"Ako naniniwala sa liderato ng Senado, lalo kay [Senate President Juan Miguel] Migz Zubiri na kakayanin niya lahat at ikukumbinsi niya lahat ng mga kasamahan nya sa Senado," Romualdez said in a chance interview Friday, March 8.
(I believe in the leadership of the Senate, especially in Senate President Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri that he can accomplish it and convince his senator-colleagues.)
"We understand the challenges pero the Senate has always lived up to the challenge," he noted.
"Magaling yung mga senador natin (We have good senators) and I know that they know whats good for the people," added the Leyte 1st district congressman.
RBH No.6, filed by Zubiri, seeks to lift the economic prohibitions in the 1987 Constitution. It is still being discussed at the subcommittee level in the Senate.
The pro-Charter change (Cha-cha) measure needs to be approved via two-thirds vote in plenary. In the 24-member Senate, this means that at least 18 senators must give their nod to RBH No.6.
Earlier this week, Zubiri said that mustering the 18 votes was a "big challenge".
On the other hand, the 300-member House of Representatives, acting as a Committee of the Whole, approved Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No.7--it's counterpart measure to RBH No.6--last Wednesday, March 6.
The lower chamber is poised to approve RBH No.7 on third and final reading before the start of the Holy Week break on March 22.