(NI NOEL ABUEL)

PINAYUHAN ni Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon ang mga kongresista na nagpupumilit na isulong ang Charter (Chacha) na siguraduhin na mayroong return address ang mga ito.

Paliwanag ni Drilon, nangangarap lamang ng gising ang mga kongresistang nasa likod ng Chacha dahil sa hindi ito prayoridad ng Senado.

Idinagdag pa nito na mismong si Senate President Vicente Sotto III ang nagpahayag na walang oras ang Mataas na Kapulungan ng Kongreso para sa pagsusulong ng Saligang Batas.

“If the House of Representatives would insist on passing Cha-cha, make it a point to include their return address, because the Senate and the Filipino people will not accept it,” aniya.

“Our counterparts in the lower house have the fighting spirit of a Filipino athlete. I do not want to dampen their spirit, but their Chacha is doomed,” dagdag pa ni Drilon.

Paliwanag pa ni Drilon na malinaw ang naging pahayag ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa kanyang state of the nation address (SONA) na hindi prayoridad ang Chacha at federalism.

“Apparently, the message was lost on the members of the House of Representatives. I had said it before and I will say it once more, Chacha is dead,” sabi pa nito.

Sinabi ng pinuno ng minorya na isang self-service move ng mga miyembro ng Kamara na magpanukala ng isang extension ng kanilang term.

“The term extension is ill-conceived. It extinguishes all the good intentions they may have in mind in pushing for Chacha. We will oppose it,” aniya pa.