Palace hopeful Congress, Senate will resolve differences

FILE: Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. ( YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA – Malacanang on Tuesday expressed optimism that the House of Representatives and Senate will eventually resolve their differences on how to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“We are hoping that the two houses of Congress will resolve their differences,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said during a Palace press briefing.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said last week that the House of Representatives will proceed with the Charter change even without the participation of the Senate.

Alvarez insists for a joint voting of the Congress convening as a constituent assembly (Con-ass) but Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III prefers a separate voting between the two houses of Congress.

Senate minority member Sen. Bam Aquino, on the other hand, has claimed constitutional convention is the better mode compared to con-ass.

“I think that is something both houses of Congress must discuss,” Roque, a former member of House of Representatives, said.

“From my brief experience in Congress, Congress is not just deliberative, it’s consensual, you need to build consensus and I think the same consensus building will have to be resorted to between the House and the Senate on the issue of how to move forward with constituent assembly,” he explained.

Roque said one of the priorities of the President is to amend the Constitution to give way to a federal form of government.

“But the President has not said how to do it. We leave it to the leadership and the members of Congress,” Roque clarified.

He explained that only the two houses of Congress can solve the issue on what kind of mode they will amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Even some of the justices of the Supreme Court have said that even the judiciary cannot interfere on this issue. Only Congress can really resolve this issue and that’s the stand of the Palace,” Roque said.

“What the President wants is for the people to vote for federalism because they know the issues and they believe, like the President, that federalism is the answer to many problems of the nation,” he added.