Senate to start tackling economic Cha-cha

With the Commission on Elections indefinitely suspending all proceedings related to the people’s initiative, the Senate will convene on Wednesday the committee of the whole to tackle the proposal to amend certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito said senators opted to discuss RBH6 as agreed upon by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Speaker Martin Romualdez in the presence of President Marcos.

-  CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE

“I think the committee of the whole will tackle the economic provisions. We will do what was agreed upon (so they can’t say) we didn’t fulfill (the agreement). This is already scheduled,” Ejercito told reporters.

On Jan. 24, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the resolution, which aims to amend restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, is in “suspended animation” amid the continuing signature campaign for a people’s initiative for Charter change.

RBH6 was filed by Zubiri, along with Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda and Sen. Sonny Angara, to amend certain economic provisions of the Constitution and stop the people’s initiative initiated by the House of Representatives.

Congress is currently at an impasse over the issue.

Ejercito said Marcos should issue a statement stopping the signature campaign to ease the tension between the Senate and the House.