CONCERNED about the way things are going now in Congress, with differing stand on attempts to amend the 1987 Constitution, senators believe it’s always best to consider that everything goes through the right process.
With this, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday appealed to his colleagues in the House of Representatives and the Senate “not to burn the house down” amid the House’s commitment and use of a People’s Initiative (PI).
In an interview with reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Philippine National Police’s new crime laboratories in which he was guest speaker, Cayetano said in amending the Charter, the process is as important as the final result.
“What I learned in politics is simple — it’s not just the results but also the process of getting there. Hindi pwedeng ‘the end justifies the means.’ Hindi pwedeng ‘Eh mali ‘yon, patayin mo o sunugin mo.’ You’ll burn the House down,” said Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
He said the main reason the senators are rejecting the PI outright is that the proposed joint voting of the House and the Senate through a Constituent Assembly is a shortcut on such a crucial process.
“’Yung results kasi talaga ang nire-reach-out ng mga senador. Shino-short cut kasi yung proseso na vote jointly. Basically ang sinasabi mo, (dahil) hindi mo maconvince ang mga senador, i-abolish na lang natin sila,” Cayetano added.
Cayetano also said the 24 senators, who on Tuesday stated their position against the PI, are not opposing it simply to protect their position but to protect the Senate as an institution.
Among that have openly expressed this sentiment are Senators Joel Villanueva, Bong Go, and Jinggoy Estrada.
“Wala nang saysay ang Senado. Paano na ‘yung tinatawag na checks and balances sa gobyerno? Eh kung meron silang ipasa o rebisahin sa constitution eh outnumbered kami,” Sen. Bong Go stated.
“The idea that a simple joint vote could render our bicameral system meaningless. Is not only and insult … Placed in us,” Sen. Jinggoy Estrada stressed.
“Again… In that particular manner. I would say that this is an insult to the senate,” Sen. Joel Villanueva said.
For Cayetano, this is the reason why both chambers need to sit down and talk.
Calling for cooler heads to prevail, Cayetano said he wants to be a sober voice between his colleagues in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Cayetano said this is important because in the end, it is the Filipino people who will bear the brunt of what he called “the start of a constitutional crisis.”
