Senate to 'move forward' from PI issue but probe continues

MANILA – The Senate leadership will refrain from commenting on the recent people's initiative (PI) and will buckle down to work by shifting their focus to pending bills.

"I-slow down po natin ang away Ngayon kasi ang importante dyan ay kapakanan ng bayan, and I think all these fighting between the different groups is not going to be good for our economy, our country, our children and children's children," Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said in an ambush interview on Wednesday.

(Let's slow down from this fight because what's important is the welfare of our people, and I think all these fighting between the different groups is not going to be good for our economy, our country, our children and children's children.)

"Let's work together and move forward from this PI issue and let's start helping the people who are in need the most, dun sa kanilang economic issue, yung gutom na nararamdaman nila, kawalan ng trabaho, pagdadag ng sweldo. Yan na muna siguro ang tututukan namin ngayon bilang Senado," he added.

(Let's work together and move forward from this PI issue and let's start helping the people who are in need the most, on the economic issue, hunger, lack of jobs, and salary increase. That will be our focus now as a Senate.)

Zubiri assured that they will proceed with the creation of the subcommittee that will discuss the proposed amendment of the three economic provisions of the Constitution in response to the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH 6) that he recently filed after a series of discussions with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

It was specified in the RBH 6 that only Section 11 of Article XII or the National Patrimony and Economy; Paragraph 2, Section 4 of Article XIV or the Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports; and Paragraph 2, Section 11 of Article XVI or the General Provisions will be discussed and reviewed.

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos said, in a separate interview, senators are willing to sit down with Speaker Romualdez and other congressmen with the assurance that they will no longer pursue PI.

Marcos, who is now leading the investigation on the irregularities in the PI, was answering the call of congressmen to stop the investigation and hasten the passage of the RBH 6 instead.

She questioned why members of the House of Representatives are interfering in the affairs of the Senate.

The Senator said PI discredits the Marcos administration and wastes a lot of political capital which "can never be recovered again."

The senator is set to fly to Davao on Friday to open the second inquiry regarding the PI with another set of witnesses and more resource persons. (PNA)