Sinabi ni House Committee on Constitutional Amendments Chair at Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez na kakayaning tapusin ng Kamara at Senado ang Charter Change bago ang Holy Week break ng Kongreso.
Welcome aniya ang pagbabago ng isip ng Senado nang ihain ang Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 para isulong na rin ang pag-amyenda sa Konstitusyon.
Kung seryoso aniya ang Senado dito ay kakayanin aniya nila na matapos ang pagtalakay sa Chacha sa Marso.
“We welcome the change of heart on the part of our senators on Charter change. If they are serious, we should target to conclude this effort, which the House has been advocating since the 8th Congress, before we go on our Holy Week break on March 23,” ani Rodriguez.
Ani Rodriguez, mahalagang maisakatuparan na ang pag-amyenda sa economic provision ng Konstitusyon upang makahikayat ng mga mamumuhunan.
Kaya imbes aniya na ubusin ang oras sa takot ng no-election scenario na hindi naman aniya itinutulak sa People’s Initiative ay makipagtulungan na lang ang Senado sa Kamara para maisaayos ito.
“We have to do it as early as possible, lest we miss the boat on enticing foreign investors, if we have not missed it yet. As it is, we are now No. 8 in foreign direct investments in the 10-member ASEAN. Alarmingly, we have already been overtaken by Vietnam and Cambodia. We are only ahead of Laos and Myanmar,” aniya.
Giit ni Rodriguez iginagalang nila sa Mababang Kapulungan ang bicameralism, ngunit ang mga hakbang nila sa Kamara para sa Chacha ay laging hindi dinidinig ng Senado.
Kaya mismong ang taumbayan na ang kumilos para sa Chacha, bagay na pinangangambahan ngayon ng Senado na bubuwag sa bicameralism.
“We have always respected bicameralism. But our proposals and insistent appeals for them to consider Charter reform have invariably fallen on deaf ears until two weeks ago, when my beloved Senate president from Mindanao announced their change of heart because they are already feeling the heat from our people,” saad ni Rodriguez.
“Senators have put themselves in a problematic situation for which they have only themselves to blame. They have consistently ignored the people’s clamor for Charter reform voiced through their elected district representatives until the people decided to take matters into their own hands,” dagdag ng mambabatas. | ulat ni Kathleen Forbes
