Amid sincerity doubts

HOUSE leaders on Monday advised senators to adopt the rules of the House of Representatives as they expressed concern over the absence of clear guidelines within the Senate for amending the 1987 Constitution, raising questions about the sincerity of senators in pushing for economic constitutional reforms.

“Well, if they don’t have rules, siguro ang pinakamagandang payo, pumunta na lang sila dito sa Congress kasi tayo meron na tayong governing rules or they can always adopt the rules that the House is conducting itself with,” Deputy Speaker and Quezon 2nd District Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez said in a press conference.

Suarez also emphasized the transparency and commitment to established rules, as he extended an invitation to the Senate to follow suit.

“Kami naman po dito sa House we’ve been very transparent from Day One. Nakikita niyo naman po ‘yong takbo ng mga deliberations namin at saka nakikita niyo meron din po kaming mga sinusunod na rules base na rin po sa alituntunin ng Kongreso. So for the Senate, you can adopt our rules, or if not you can join us in the deliberations. And we can be one happy family,” Suarez said.

Suarez underscored the need for senators to promptly address the issue, given that the Senate had already initiated discussions on the resolution concerning economic Charter amendments, well before the House.

“Sana ma-address kaagad nila ‘yong issue na ito dahil tumatakbo po ‘yong hearings nila from what I know, and they started way ahead of the House, a month ahead of the House, so I hope they can address this issue,” Suarez said.

Suarez noted the responsibility for the crucial task of establishing Charter amendment rules falls squarely on the Majority Leader of both houses of Congress: Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Jose “Mannix” Dalipe for the House and Senator Joel Villanueva for the Senate.

“Well, definitely the Majority Leader would have to address this issue, kasi dito sa amin pagdating sa mga rules, it’s Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe who makes sure that there are rules governing committees and House deliberations, and the way we conduct ourselves,” Suarez said.

“So ang suggestion ko po siguro, tignan po natin at pakiusapan po natin ‘yong ating Majority Leader (sa Senado) para gumawa o mag-propose na siya ng mga rules dahil kasama naman yata siya sa umakda ng RBH 6, eh ‘di sana napag-aralan din po nila at napaghandaan kung papaano at ‘yong proseso na tatalakayin at dadaanan noong kanilang ipinasang resolusyon,” Suarez said.

House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jefferson Khonghun expressed his concern over this shortcoming on the part of the senators, hoping it wouldn’t disrupt the ongoing deliberations.

“Lubha talagang nakakabahala at nakakadismaya na hanggang ngayon, nakakatatlong hearing na ‘yong Senate pero wala pa pala silang alituntunin regarding sa economic Cha-cha (Charter change),” Khonghun said.

“Dito mo makikita ‘yong sinseridad at transparency sa procedures na ginagawa ng House of Representatives, dahil dito malinaw, talagang meron kaming sinusunod na alituntunin,” Khonghun added.

Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman, Chairperson of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality, said the sincerity of the senators will be tested on how soon they respond to the situation.

“If they immediately adopt rules or they come up with it, how many hours do they need to come up with rules?” Roman asked.

She said the process need not be complicated, likening it to guidelines already familiar to the House.

Roman cited the availability of existing rules in Sections 143 and 144 of House Rules XXI, suggesting that these could serve as a framework for the Senate.

House Assistant Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega, meanwhile, cited a potential communication gap within the Senate.

“So siguro baka may communication gap sila or siguro nagmadali, or siguro kailangan nilang i-address ito as soon as possible. Kasi paano naman nag-umpisa kung hindi natin nilagyan ng rules ‘yong ating mga committee hearings?” Ortega pointed out.

Reflecting on the sincerity of the Senate’s intentions, Suarez emphasized the importance of translating words into concrete actions.

“When it comes to sincerity, you know it will always be shown with action,” Suarez said, stressing the necessity for tangible steps to validate the Senate’s commitment to economic constitutional reforms.

A Senate subcommittee has already held three hearings on Resolution on Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) since February 5, merely three weeks after the House commenced discussions on RBH 7 on February 26.

RBH 7 mirrors the content of RBH 6, currently being deliberated in the Senate, which primarily targets specific economic provisions in the 37-year-old Charter concerning public services, education, and advertising.

However, last week, Senator Chiz Escudero cautioned his colleagues on the Senate floor against proceeding with additional hearings on RBH 6 without first establishing clear guidelines in the Senate’s rules.

The senator noted that the Senate lacks specific rules for constitutional amendments, unlike the House, which has well-defined procedures outlined in Sections 143 and 144 of House Rules XXI.