Congress leaders to meet with Aquino on Cha-cha

(UPDATED) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte will meet President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang on Monday to discuss the proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Enrile confirmed the scheduled meeting in a radio interview Sunday, with Belmonte making the arrangement.

He said House leaders would only want to hear the opinion of the President on Charter change (Cha-cha), particularly on amending the economic provisions of the Constitution that limit foreign ownership in corporations to only 40 percent.

While Congress is an independent branch of government, it is prudent that the President’s view is considered on the matter, Enrile said.

“We will see the reactions of the President. We must maintain that the President is not under us, neither we are under him. We are independent branches of the government but we should maintain the principle of coordination with the Executive,” he said.

President Aquino earlier said he is willing to listen to the proposals of Enrile and Belmonte with regard amending the Constitution.

"We are in a democracy. We have to listen to different ideas and come up with what is best for the people," he said.

But he maintained that the economy could still grow even without amending the Charter ratified by the public during the presidency of his mother Corazon Aquino.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over Radyo ng Bayan that Cha-Cha is still not a priority of the administration. (Jill Beltran/Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)