Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez debunks Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III claim that approving the Charter Change (Cha-Cha) is “next to impossible” under the 18th Congress.

Rodriguez clarified that House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2 only seeks to add “unless otherwise stated by law” so that the Congress would have “the power to alter the restrictions when the economic situation warrants.”

“The Cha-cha the Senate president is talking about is wholesale revision of the Constitution. That is not what we envision. What Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and the House are proposing is limiting Cha-cha to the basic law’s economic provisions that restrict foreign investor participation in businesses in the country,” he explained.

The Deputy Speaker then assured the Senate that they would focus on the proposed amendments and no political movements will be committed.

“We are assuring him, his Senate colleagues and the people that no political amendment proposals will be tackled. We will limit this initiative to economic reform so it can succeed this year,” he added.

Rodriguez continued that this year is the best time to make an approval because it can further help the country revive from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If approved, the House would recommend a plebiscite, which could also be held during the May 2022 national elections to save cost.