Speaker Romualdez assures House adoption of Senate Charter reform resolution

SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has assured Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri that the House of Representatives would adopt a resolution pending in the Senate which proposes to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions of the Constitution.

In a letter to Zubiri dated Thursday, the Speaker said the House was awaiting Senate approval of Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 “and we commit to adopt this measure pertaining to the amendments of the economic provisions of the Constitution.”

RBH No. 6 is authored by Zubiri and Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Edgardo Angara. It was referred to a special subcommittee chaired by Angara.

It is entitled, “A Resolution of Both Houses of Congress proposing amendments to certain provisions of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, particularly on Articles Xll, XlV and XVl.”

“We stand at a historic juncture, where cooperation and collective resolve are paramount. We will transcend past barriers to reform, charting a course towards a future where every Filipino can partake in the nation’s prosperity,” Speaker Romualdez said in his letter.

“In uniting under our values and principles, the leaders of the House of Representatives recommit ourselves to the service of our people and the democratic ideals we are sworn to uphold. Together, we are steadfast in our resolve to cultivate a nation where democracy flourishes, economies thrive and every Filipino is empowered to realize their fullest potential,” he said.

The leader of the 300-plus-strong House quoted a portion of his opening statement last Monday, when Congress reconvened after its Christmas recess.

“It is critical that we facilitate the entry of foreign capital and direct investments into our economy. It is imperative that we reexamine the Constitution and carefully scrutinize pertinent economic provisions to eliminate the barriers that restrict potential growth,” he has told his colleagues.

“We therefore welcome the recent move of the Senate, led by the Honorable Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, in joining the House of Representatives in its historic and laudable efforts towards Charter change via constituent assembly…This signals a strong sense of unity and purpose. The Congress of the Philippines, now acting as one body, will eventually fulfill the call for a reformed, responsive and result-oriented constitutional framework,” he said.

“Sa tulong ng Senado at lahat ng Pilipinong naghahangad ng pagbabago, matutupad na rin ang pangarap natin na mabuksan ang ekonomiya para makapasok ang pondong kailangan sa paglikha ng mas maraming negosyo, trabaho at kabuhayan ng mga Pilipino,” he said.

In his letter to Zubiri, Speaker Romualdez said given his above-quoted statements, “and in conjunction with the commitment of the Senate when we met prior to the vin d’ honneur” last January 11, he, “as the head of the House of the People, together with the deputy speakers, majority leader and minority leader, reiterates our full support with the Senate in their filing and eventual passage” of RBH No. 6.