SENATOR Robin Padilla on Monday asked the Supreme Court to rule on how the Senate and House of Representatives should vote on proposed constitutional changes. The senator, who heads the committee on constitutional amendments, thinks they should vote separately. — PHILIPPINE STAR/EDD GUMBAN

A SENATOR on Monday sought the Supreme Court’s (SC) “authoritative declaration” on whether the two chambers of Congress should vote jointly or separately in proposing changes to the 1987 Constitution.

Senator Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla, who heads the committee on constitutional amendments, asked the tribunal to clarify whether the Senate and House of Representatives should jointly convene as a constituent assembly.

The constitutional question has been debated for years and the Senate earlier issued a manifesto saying the votes of its members on Charter change (“Cha-cha”) would get diluted if these are jointly counted with the House.

The former action star said the High Court should explain whether the three-fourths vote requirement of the Constitution for changes to go through refers to the Senate and House voting separately or as one chamber.

“For a long time — 37 years — there has been a debate on how to amend or revise our Constitution,” he separately told reporters in Filipino after filing the petition.

Mr. Padilla said the framers of the Constitution have said the intent had always been separate votes by the Senate and House.

He also asked the court to rule on whether the Senate and House should convene together when calling for a constitutional convention to amend the Charter.

Mr. Padilla in a separate statement said he was “unable to carry out [his] functions as committee chairman” because of the ambiguous Charter clause.

He gave copies of his petition to Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra, Senate President Francis Joseph G. Escudero and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, among other parties.

In February, Mr. Padilla filed a resolution seeking separate voting by both Houses to amend the Constitution.

Mr. Escudero last month said the Senate would put Charter change on the back burner. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana