Con-ass measure's move to plenary blocked

MANILA, Philippines - With only a few days left before the adjournment of Congress session, the House committee on Rules on Monday blocked the transmission to the plenary of the controversial measure pushing for a constituent assembly aimed at amending the 1987 Constitution. In a press conference, Majority Leader Arthur Defensor Sr. said the committee has decided to send House Resolution 1109 back to the committee on constitutional amendments after finding that the panel chaired by La Union Rep. Victor Ortega sent the measure to the Rules committee without approving it first. "The committee on Rules, after going over the committee report of the committee on Constitutional Amendments, has found out that the committee report does not reflect favorable consideration or approval by the committee of House Resolution No. 1109, and therefore the committee on Rules has no jurisdiction to refer the committee report to the plenary because there is no showing of approval by the committee on Constitutional Amendments," Defensor said. In its meeting Tuesday last week, Ortega's committee voted 19-6 to send HR 1109 to the Rules committee so that it could calendar the measure for plenary deliberations. In reaction to the Rules committee's move, Ortega told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview that his committee would hold a special meeting later in the day to finally decide on HR 1109, which has more than 170 signatories. "I will call for a special meeting. It's up the committee to decide what to do," Ortega said, adding that the meeting might take place 4 or 5 p.m. But even as he acknowledged that there's no telling whether the House would be able to approve the controversial measure before the adjournment of session on June 6, Defensor said time might not be enough for lawmakers to push through with the constituent assembly option. "I doubt it can be approved [before June 6]. We may not have time," Defensor said, adding that the House still have other priority measures such as the bill extending the comprehensive agrarian reform program. Even though he is a signatory in HR 1109, Defensor has earlier said a House-only constituent assembly would not flourish. He also said he only signed the measure because he was made to understand that the Senate would be included in the attempt to change the Charter. Speaker Prospero Nograles had also said that the House would likely start considering proposals to form a constitutional convention in case moves to convene Congress into a constituent assembly do not gain ground before June 6. Likewise, Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo - who had moved for the referral of HR 1109 back to the committee on Constitutional Amendments - said there is probably no time for a constituent assembly even if the House takes it on when session resumes in late July. "Given wala ng time yan, kung i-revive ma sa susunod, alanganin na talaga na maitulak pa nila yung con-ass [Given that there is no more time, even if it is revived in the resumption of session, the chances that con-ass will be approved is unlikely]," Ocampo said in a press conference. Ocampo added that the minority bloc would continue to oppose Charter change efforts in the House, particularly HR 737 - which seeks to amend the Constitution's economic provisions - which is already undergoing plenary deliberations. - Johanna Camille Sisante