House Speaker Prospero Nograles confirmed Wednesday that a resolution to convene both chambers of Congress into a constituent assembly (Con-Ass) is only 20 votes from being approved, but he claimed that the resolution does not seek to extend President Arroyo's term beyond 2010. Nograles, who has a pending proposal to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution, said the resolution filed by KAMPI president, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, last year has been signed by 175 congressmen. Nograles and Villafuerte said three-fourths of the members of the Senate and House combined is enough to convene a constitutional assembly and that the resolution is only 20 votes shy. “Yes it's in my hands, and we are going to file it once Congress opens by April 12. It was given to me by Loiue Villafuerte with 165 signatures, and there are 10 more who signed,” the speaker told ABS-CBN's Dateline Philippines. The move for Charter-change (Cha-cha) has stirred so much controversy over fears that Arroyo's allies in both chambers of Congress will insert a provision to extend her term. In the same news progrm, Villafuerte clarified thathis resolution does not propose to change the constitution or change the system of government from presidential to federal or parliamentary. “The resolution that I drafted, which has not been even filed yet, is intended not to propose amendments to the [1987] Constitution, but to create a controversy in order to bring the issue of how the manner of voting should be done to the Supreme Court,” Villafuerte said. He said the resolution is a counter-move to Nograles's proposal to amend the Constitution through legislation, which, he said, is unconstitutional. He insisted that there are only three ways to amend the constitution - people's initiative, Constituent Assembly and Constitutional Convention. - ABS
