Robin to Senate leaders: Tackle economic revision with House counterparts
SENATOR Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla appealed to the leadership of the Senate for a “collaborative effort” with the House of Representatives in deliberating on the preferred mode of amending economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Padilla made the appeal in letters sent to Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
He noted House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez had expressed openness for the House to discuss with the Senate the mode of amending the Constitution, particularly through a constituent assembly (Con-ass).
“With the foregoing, I sincerely hope that the leadership of our beloved institution, led by your representation, will forge ahead and make a move to respond to the suggestion of the House of Representatives to sit together and deliberate on the matter, ultimately, for the benefit of our countrymen,” he said in his letter.
“I encourage and appeal for our collaborative effort towards a common goal of achieving a more vibrant and dynamic economy for our people,” he added.
Earlier, Padilla chaired eight hybrid public hearings of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes to take up proposed amendments to the Charter’s economic amendments. The hearings were held in the Senate and in Baguio, Davao, and Cebu cities.
Padilla is pushing for amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution, via a constituent assembly timed with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this October.
On the other hand, Padilla gained the unequivocal support of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to the legislative efforts of both Houses of Congress in reforming the Constitution.
