Speaker: House to push for Cha-cha next year

Lawmakers will make another pitch for constitutional amendments next year, focusing on economic provisions deemed "very prohibitive," Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

- DELON PORCALLA

"I believe 2024 will allow us again to revisit the whole issue of the Constitution because I think it's timely that we revisit,s and I'd say we'd like to focus very much on the economic provisions," Romualdez told reporters at a Christmas luncheon he hosted.

"We will be studying this during our Christmas break.

And perhaps there might be some initiatives even during the break that would prepare us for the ensuing year, and perhaps what would be our legacy in the 19th Congress (2022-2025)," the Speaker said.

Congress goes on Christmas break on Friday. The renewed Charter change (Cha-cha) initiative being eyed by Romualdez will come a year before the mid-term elections.

The leader of the 310-member House of Representatives explained that 2024 would be a good time to review the 1987 Constitution since the chamber has already passed all priority measures outlined by President Marcos in his July 2022 State of the Nation Address and endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.