Senator Robin Padilla has formally petitioned the Supreme Court (SC) for an “authoritative declaration” regarding whether Congress should vote jointly or separately on amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Petition Details
In his petition, Padilla asked the Court to clarify constitutional issues related to Sections 1(1) and 3, Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution. He highlighted that the Constitution’s drafters acknowledged a lack of clarity on the voting procedure, noting it should have specified separate voting by the two houses of Congress.
“The ones who drafted the Constitution have admitted, they said that they failed to address some things, that that should be voted separately,” Padilla stated in an interview.
Call for Resolution
Padilla emphasized that he is not seeking advice but a definitive resolution from the Supreme Court to settle the ongoing conflict between the Senate and the House of Representatives. He stressed that without a clear ruling from the Court, disputes between the two legislative bodies will continue.
“We are asking for the Court to resolve this conflict,” Padilla said, pointing out the persistent unstable relations between the two houses of Congress over the issue.
Previous Actions
In February, Padilla filed a resolution advocating for separate voting by the Senate and the House of Representatives on constitutional amendments. However, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero has indicated that the Senate will prioritize other legislative matters over proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution.