‘It takes two to Cha-cha’: House urged to fix Cha-cha issues with Senate first

‘It takes two to Cha-cha’: House urged to convince Senate on Cha-cha push

Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor on Tuesday called on the House of Representatives to first resolve issues on the process of Charter change (Cha-cha) with the Senate before proceeding with its deliberations.

Defensor said that in rushing Cha-cha, “the House is putting the cart before the horse.”

The lawmaker was referring to at least two contentious issues being raised amid the fresh push for Cha-cha.

“One is whether the two chambers need to approve a joint resolution formally convening themselves into a constituent assembly before one or both of them can tackle any amendment proposal. The other issue is whether the two chambers vote separately,” Defensor said.

Defensor noted that while senators believe that the two chambers should vote separately on Cha-cha, some congressmen believe that the voting should be done jointly.

“It takes two to Cha-cha. Unless the House convinces the Senate to get on board its Cha-cha express, the House would just be wasting precious time, effort and taxpayers’ money,” he said.

House committee on constitutional is set to begin plenary debates on Cha-cha on February 22.

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)