Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (left), Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (Rep. Villafuerte's office, Facebook)

Economic Charter change (Cha-cha) backer, Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte has expressed his continued hope for the Senate to finally get the ball rolling on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6. 

Monday, April 29 marked the return of plenary sessions in Congress after the five-week summer recess, and this should allow the Senate subcommittee tackling RBH No.6 to hasten its proceedings. 

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said that jt was the target of the 24-member chamber to begin its plenary discussions on the proposed constitutional reforms in May. 

"We are hoping that the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes can find time to soon resume its hearings on RHB No.6," said Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP). 

Villafuerte is one of the lead proponents of the House-passed RBH No.7, which, like RBH No.6, seeks to overhaul the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution that restrict foreign participation in Philippine businesses.   

If and when the Senate passes RBH No.6, Villafuerte expects “smooth sailing” for the passage of the final congressional bill at the bicameral conference committee level—and its subsequent ratification by both the Senate and the House—since the House's RBH No.7 is patterned after the Senate's RBH No.6. 

It was last March 20 or just before the recess when the 300-plus strong House of Representatives voted 288-8-2 (yes-no-abstain) to pass on third and final reading the proposed economic Cha-cha, as embodied in RBH No.7 

Although Zubiri himself had conceded that getting a three-fourths majority vote for RHB No.6 was a “big challenge” in the Senate, Villafuerte agreed with the Senate President’s own words that the task is still “in the realm of possibilities". 

the Bicolano congressman noted that the Senate President no less speculated that getting 18 senators or three-fourths of the chamber to vote for the measure was—in Zubiri’s words— 

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara chairs the Senate subcommittee that has been holding hearings on RBH No.6.