But Senate President Franklin Drilon refused to guarantee that the controversial measure would be approved by the Senate. The resolution is scheduled for floor debates today.
Palace officials also reiterated that while President Arroyo has included a shift to the parliamentary and federal system of government in her campaign platform, the bicameral resolution is not among the 10 bills Mrs. Arroyo earlier certified as urgent legislative measures.
Nonetheless, Mrs. Arroyo’s partymate and principal Charter change proponent, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., said the bicameral resolution proposed by Liberal Party president and Batanes Rep. Florencio Abad was approved by a House majority.
De Venecia said the majority included the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the second largest bloc in the House.
Under the resolution, the election of delegates will be held simultaneously with the May 10 presidential, congressional and local elections. The constitutional convention itself, which is expected to last from 90 to 180 days, will be inaugurated later this year.
"We will refer it to the Senate," said Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri. "We will challenge the senators if they are sincere in seeking Charter reform."
But a number of De Venecia’s partymates are opposing the bicameral resolution and warned that a con-con would not only be costly but would also allow "losers and political second-stringers" to tinker with the Constitution.
"The con-con, at first glance, creates the impression that it guarantees a more democratic means of determining the people who shall be tasked to revise the Constitution," said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.
"However, the issue of legitimacy is raised when losing politicians gets to be elected as members of the con-con," he added.
Other congressmen opposed to the resolution are House Majority Leader Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. of Mandaluyong, Lanao del Sur Rep Faysah Dumarpa and Negros Occidental Rep. Alfred Marañon, whip of the NPC bloc in the House.
Senate willing but unable?
But the resolution appears to be all set to go through the legislative mill as the Senate scheduled the measure for floor debates today.
"Even with our limited time, we agreed that we will give it a good shot," Drilon told reporters after presiding over a majority caucus.
He was referring to the con-con resolution endorsed by the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of laws and codes chaired by Sen. Edgardo Angara.
"But we do not know whether we will be able to pass it before we adjourn next month," he said.
The two chambers, which resumed sessions yesterday, will adjourn for the election campaign on Feb. 6. At most, they will hold sessions for 16 days.
Asked to assess whether they can approve the resolution before the next adjournment, Drilon shook his head and said, "At this point, mahirap (it would be difficult)."
Newly designated Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan shared Drilon’s assessment.
"We will start floor debates, but other than that, we are not promising anything," he said.
Drilon said even today’s debates will depend on whether Angara will be ready to sponsor and defend the con-con resolution.
He said if Angara is ready for debates today, several of his colleagues, including Senators Joker Arroyo, Manuel Villar and Robert Barbers will question him about Cha-cha and con-con.
Angara said he will be ready for today’s debates.
"I have been ready as far back as several months ago, but I would like to know what is behind the move to rush us into passing this measure," he said.
"Why only now in the 11th hour or in the last two minutes before the May elections? Has this something to do with the expected opposition victory in May?" Angara asked.
He said that if the intention of the Drilon-led majority is just to open the floor debates without passing the resolution, "then this is just for show."
"Niloloko lang nila si De Venecia at ’yung mga Cha-cha proponents(They are only fooling De Venecia and the Cha-cha proponents)," he said.
Drilon said that aside from tackling the con-con resolution, senators will also have to resolve whether a separate law will be needed for the election of convention delegates.
The issue was brought up during the majority caucus by Sen. John Osmeña, who was previously allied with the minority.
Osmeña was a senator in the seventh Congress that passed Republic Act 6132 (the 1971 Constitutional Convention Act) governing the election of convention delegates, in addition to a Cha-cha resolution.
He said this time, a law will also be needed to prescribe the qualifications of delegates, how many would be elected per district, the date of election, the campaign period, and related matters.
Drilon said another issue that needs to be resolved is the funding for the election of delegates and maintaining the convention until it finishes its job.
"There is no money for this in the proposed 2004 budget, which, by the way, will take up much of our remaining sessions," he said.
Palace: Cha-cha not a priority
Meanwhile, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office head Secretary Gabriel Claudio said the bicameral resolution is not among the 10 bills Mrs. Arroyo earlier certified as urgent legislative measures although the President included Charter change in her campaign platform.
Claudio said that the approval of the House-approved General Appropriations Act of 2004 and 10 other bills were in the list of certified urgent legislative measures but not Cha-cha.
He said bicameral conference committee reports have already been done for at least two Palace certified bills, the Optical Media bill and the Documentary Stamp Tax bill, and they only remain to be approved by both chambers.
Aside from the 2004 budget bill, Claudio said nine other Palace certified bills are in various advanced stages of legislation.
The bills cover measures against terrorism, against domestic violence, securitization of government assets, compensation of human rights victims, pay hike of prosecutors, "indexation" of taxes on luxury goods, clean water, alternative dispute resolution and land use. — With Marichu Villanueva
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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