Members of the House of Representatives in the Philippines are hoping to see the Senate follow through with its promise to pass economic reforms in the 1987 Constitution. House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe, Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and Rep. LRay Villafuerte are calling on Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to honor his commitment to pass Resolution of Both Houses 6 (RBH6) by March. This resolution would pave the way for amendments to the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. The House has assured the Senate that they will embrace and have no questions asked regarding the Senate version of the provisions. They trust that Zubiri will deliver on his word and rally the needed votes for the resolution. Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed that if there were to be a gentleman’s agreement requiring three-fourths of the votes from both the Senate and the House of Representatives voting separately, a constituent assembly could be convened to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. Today, the Senate commences its public hearing on RBH 6 with a long list of resource persons, including legal luminaries and constitutional experts.
