Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s alleged complete turnaround from his previous anti-Charter change stance is expected to bring the Senate and the House of Representatives into a united stance to finally succeed in amending the 1987 Constitution after decades of failed attempts.

Zubiri told a press conference on Monday (January 15) that he met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Speaker Martin Romualdez to discuss the Charter change initiative, saying that the president has asked the Senate “to take the lead in reviewing the economic provisions of the Constitution.”

“In this way, we can preserve our bicameral nature of legislation,” Zubiri said.

Reacting to the House and Senate leaderships’ “war” against the 1987 Constitution, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the Charter change efforts should be expected to “end in a compromise between the two chambers by opening wide the economy to alien investments.”

“I believe these apparently separate efforts will end in a compromise by opening wide the economy to alien investments through a Constituent Assembly with the House and the Senate fast-tracking the approval of the constitutional amendment with the backing of both Chambers even voting separately,” said Lagman in a statement.

The Bicolano lawmaker said that as soon as the smoke settles and the Charter is amended, the country will realize that the “victim will be the nation’s patrimony.”

“The victim will be the nation’s patrimony when sensitive enterprises like public service, education, media and advertisement will be open to alien control and domination,” he warned.

He stated: “The Cha-cha is out of step because the President and the Congress must address the crippling crises in the economy, agriculture, food security, education, fiscal deficit, debt burden, and China’s continuing aggression in the West Philippine Sea, the vast and rich territorial waters of which have been awarded in favor of the Philippines in 2016 by the International Arbitral Tribunal.”

For her part, Senator Risa Hontiveros said claiming that it is wrong to call as “People’s Initiative” current moves to amend the Charter if it does not represent the true will of the people.

“This well-funded, well-oiled campaign is not about the people - it is all about greed and the desire to act with zero accountability to the nation” she said.

Hontiveros noted that right at the very first step of the campaign for People’s Initiative, irregularities have already manifested such as the putting out of paid advertisements to prop up the Charter change bid.

“Let us be clear: the reported 'people's initiative' is not about any economic or political reforms in the Constitution. Walang nabanggit tungkol diyan ang mismong form daw na kumakalat,” the opposition senator said.

She added: “The campaign only wants both houses of Congress to "vote jointly" during a Constituent Assembly, thus weakening the Senate's voice and participation in the process of Charter Change.”