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Sen. Imee Marcos, Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, and Sen. Koko Pimentel. File photos

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Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/imee marcoleta koko.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted">Sen. Imee Marcos, Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, and Sen. Koko Pimentel. File photos</span> </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — A lawmaker from the House of Representatives on Tuesday appeared before a Senate panel&#x27;s investigation into the controversial people&#x27;s initiative, sparking tension in the Chamber as failed Charter change efforts were brought to light. </p><div><br/></div><p>The Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation led by Sen. Imee Marcos is probing the alleged anomalies surrounding the people&#x27;s initiative, with senators suspecting that the campaign was bankrolled by the House of Representatives.</p><div><br/></div><p>Rep. Rodante Marcoleta was among the guests during the hearing, a rare instance in the Congress that values &quot;inter-parliamentary courtesy.&quot; </p><div><br/></div><p>Marcoleta clarified that he was &quot;not representing&quot; the House of Representatives and that he would be the first to condemn their leaders if they are found to be behind the new Cha-cha push.</p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;I am not defending the Speaker of the House of Representatives. If this investigation will find out na siya ang nagpondo, I will politely ask him to step down,&quot; Marcoleta told the panel. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/26/24/imee-links-peoples-initiative-to-speakers-office-romualdez-calls-cousin-marites">Imee links people&#x27;s initiative to Speaker&#x27;s office; Romualdez calls cousin &#x27;marites&#x27;</a></div><div><br/></div><p>However, he said he understood the &quot;frustration&quot; of the private citizens who supposedly launched the people&#x27;s initiative.</p><div><br/></div><p>Marcoleta then aired his grievances against the Senate for allegedly ignoring the House of Representatives&#x27; calls to meet over Cha-cha. </p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;I think for the longest time the House of Representatives has been inviting the Senate to sit with us on a constituent assembly and the Senate repeatedly refused us,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/29/24/villanueva-warns-peoples-initiative-proponents-liars-go-to-hell">Villanueva warns People&#x27;s Initiative proponents: &#x27;Liars go to hell&#x27;</a></div><div><br/></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="2945826"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>However, Sen. Koko Pimentel immediately countered Marcoleta&#x27;s point, saying the House could not force the Senate to engage on such venture.</p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Tama yung observation ni Marcoleta, pero that cannot be forced. If the Senate doesn&#x27;t want to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly, the House cannot force it. Ganon lang po yun, as simple as that. There should be no complaint because we are 2 autonomous bodies,&quot; Pimentel said.</p><div><br/></div><p>But Marcoleta argued that &quot;the complaint arises from the fact that you do not want to meet with us.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><p>This led Pimentel to suspect even more that the House of Representatives was really behind the people&#x27;s initiative.</p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Our problem with the people&#x27;s initiative is we suspected some politicians to be behind it, because ang tinutumbok ng P.I. is the procedure sa constituent assembly and changing the natural meaning of that section,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><p>The people&#x27;s initiative aims to amend the Constitution for Congress to &quot;vote jointly&quot; during constituent assembly, essentially undermining the Senate&#x27;s role.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/01/08/24/charter-change-through-peoples-initiative-what-is-it">Charter change through People&#x27;s Initiative: What is it?</a></div><div><br/></div><p>Marcos then reminded Marcoleta to &quot;not hijack this hearing&quot; and stray from the subject of the investigation.</p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;With all due respect to Cong. Marcoleta, that&#x27;s likely the subject of another hearing and perhaps a more confident and benign meeting of the minds at another time. Let&#x27;s not hijack this hearing,&quot; she said.</p><div><br/></div><p>The Marcos-led panel is expected to present experts and witnesses who claimed they were duped into signing the people&#x27;s initiative form in exchange for some aid.</p>

<p>Rep. Marcoleta aired his grievances against the Senate for allegedly ignoring the House of Representatives' calls to meet over Cha-cha. </p>

Rep. Marcoleta aired his grievances against the Senate for allegedly ignoring the House of Representatives' calls to meet over Cha-cha.

'Let's not hijack this hearing': Senators, Marcoleta clash over failed Cha-cha bids

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'Let's not hijack this hearing': Senators, Marcoleta clash over failed Cha-cha bids

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 30, 2024 03:49 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 30, 2024 06:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

senator

senators

Imee Marcos

Koko Pimentel

Rodante Marcoleta

people's initiative

Charter change

cha cha

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