Fariñas to take over Cha-cha hearings

MANILA, Philippines – The majority leader of the House of Representatives, Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, will take over the hearings on Charter change (Cha-cha) for federalism.

Fariñas said yesterday he and Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado had agreed that he would take over the hearings even before the near-fistfight between Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Prospero Pichay Jr. of Surigao del Sur happened last Wednesday.

He said Mercado had asked him if he could give up the chairmanship of the committee on constitutional amendments and keep the post of deputy majority leader, which is equivalent to that of committee chairman.

“So we talked to the Speaker and the Speaker decided that I take over the constitutional amendments committee. He felt that since this is a big issue for us, I should be the one to defend it on the floor,” he said.

Some members of the panel have faulted Mercado for failing to notice during his first committee meeting last Wednesday that tempers had flared and Barbers had risen from his seat to confront Pichay.

The Barbers-Pichay near-fistfight happened toward the end of the two-hour meeting, when the committee was about to vote on a motion presented by Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia for the panel to recommend to the House the proposal for Congress to convene as a constituent assembly (con-ass) to propose Charter amendments on federalism.

It was at this point that Pichay made a last-minute intervention, which angered Barbers, who was apparently frustrated by the failure of Mercado to get his panel to proceed to a vote after two hours of wrangling. Ironically, the two Surigao lawmakers are among a majority of committee members who are for con-ass.

Had the voting taken place, the committee would have overwhelmingly opted for con-ass.

Some members, including deputy speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu and Pichay, have abandoned their proposals for convening an elected constitutional convention (con-con) in favor of con-ass.

Even Duterte and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez were initially for the con-con mode. But when Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno informed them that the election alone of con-con delegates nationwide would cost at least P7 billion, they changed their mind and supported con-ass.