Advocate for House Charter Amendment Refuses Secret Caucus with Senate

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez has rejected an invitation by Senate President Miguel Zubiri to discuss proposed changes to the Philippine constitution behind closed doors. Rodriguez, who is proposing a hybrid constitutional convention, said he was against any executive session or secret meeting and urged transparency in discussions. Zubiri had suggested a closed-door caucus to discuss charter change to prevent grandstanding, an idea that Rodriguez said showed the Senate president’s “fear of the unknown”. A proposal to amend the constitution has been put forward to allow a hybrid constitutional convention to change or revise the 1987 document. The majority of senators oppose the move, with Zubiri saying that it was not on the Senate agenda at the moment.