Uphold Tradition of Lawmaking -- Angara

In the wake of the House Panel's approval of its version of the Constitution, Senator Edgardo J. Angara today condemned the House's intention to push for charter change without the participation of the Senate.

Angara pointed out the custom of separate voting of the two houses of Congress which is stated in the constitution.

"We have been traditionally voting separately in the past. How can legality take effect if this will push through without the Senate's participation?" he asked.

Angara also pointed out that if a simple legislative work- such as renaming a street or a school- entails painstaking debate and casting of votes, then all the more should the entire legislative branch, Senate and the House, debate on amending the charter.

"Even in renaming a street or a barangay, the House and the Senate deliberate separately. In this case, we are talking about constitutional change. All the more that we should debate on it separately and exhaustively," Angara continued.

Angara said that about 23 senators signed a resolution opposing a proposal which says that only one House can effect drastic change of the constitution without taking into account the votes of the Senate.

"The second chamber is always important in the Philippine context because the second house provides a break, as well as a second opinion in acting precipitately on lawmaking," he continued.