ESCUDERO REFUSES INTER-CHAMBER DIALOGUE ON CHA-CHA

No dialogue until and unless the Lower House clearly defines its position on the mode of amending the constitution, Senator Chiz Escudero today said.

Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws refused to sit down in a proposed inter-chamber dialogue to resolve the Senate and the Congress' conflict on the voting system for charter change.

"An inter-chamber dialogue cannot settle the conflict between the two Houses unless Congress endures and satisfies the processes and requisites mandated by the Constitution in amending the constitution."

The senator maintains his position that the Senate and Congress necessitate separate voting in any move to revise or amend the constitution.

"Congress always asks for our help in passing their bills, bills as mundane as renaming of streets or schools. Now here they are suddenly saying the Senate is irrelevant in the process of amending the charter? Let us see them pass an ordinary bill first without the Senate's help and we can take it from there."

Escudero said as chairman of the Constitutional Amendment committee, he will not negotiate, compromise and discuss away the powers and prerogatives of the Senate as an institution.

"Those who push chacha in the House have no monopoly of representing the true sentiments of the Filipino people. In fact, they have misrepresented the prevailing sentiments of the Filipinos. What they are pushing is just to benefit the self-serving ambitions of the few."

As far as cha-cha is concerned, he said that if ever there is indeed a need for it, it should be done after the elections in 2010.

"This administration cannot be trusted to arbitrate the process of this initiative given its propensity to burnish its ambition beyond its term limit."