Press Release
November 19, 2008

ROXAS: SENATE TO BLOCK CHA-CHA RAILROAD

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas said the Senate would block any attempts to railroad Charter change, which could be used to prolong the present administration's term.

He noted that Senate Resolution No. 473 from the 13th Congress, expressing the sense of the Senate that any vote to amend the Constitution must be done by the House and Senate voting separately, was signed by 22 senators, 16 of whom are incumbent.

"We still have 16 senators who believe that Congress must vote separately in convening a constituent assembly. Maaasahan na ang Senado ay tuloy na kokontra sa bawat galaw ng administrasyon na manatili sa poder 'even beyond 2010' (The Senate can be expected to continue blocking the administration's moves to stay in power 'even beyond 2010')," said Roxas.

The resolution was signed by the following incumbent senators: Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel, Roxas, Juan Ponce Enrile, Pia Cayetano, Rodolfo Biazon, Ramon Revilla, Jr., Jose Ejercito Estrada, Richard Gordon, Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Ma. Consuelo Madrigal, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Manuel Lapid, Panfilo Lacson and Manuel Villar.

"Hindi tayo papayag na magkaka-con-ass dahil sa boto ng isang Kamara. Iyon ay isang napakamaling interpretasyon ng Saligang Batas (We will not allow a con-ass to happen through the votes of just one chamber. That is a very wrong interpretation of the Constitution)," he said, referring to Article 17 of the 1987 Constitution, on "Amendments or Revisions."

"Sa ngayon, ay pwede na nating pagdebatehan ang mga dapat amyendahin sa Saligang Batas. Pero ang Cha-Cha ay dapat gawin pagkatapos na ng terminong Arroyo (At present, we can debate what the amendments to our Constitution ought to be. But Cha-Cha must be done after Arroyo's term)," he said.

The Ilonggo senator said he was in favor of having any constitutional amendments done through an elected constitutional convention in 2010.

"Pagkatapos ng 2010, sa pamamagitan ng constitutional convention, maari na nating repasuhin ang ating Saligang Batas (After 2010, through a constitutional convention, we can consider changes to the Constitution)," he said.

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