A pro-charter change lawmaker on Wednesday said the House of Representatives may ask the Supreme Court to compel the Senate to act on the proposed federal charter if the senators “neglect” their job. Speaking to the ANC news channel, Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, said the Rules of Court provide that “if you refuse to perform an act specified by law then you can be subject to a petition for mandamus. “I don’t like to make any further comment because we might be telegraphing our punches. But there are a lot of things that the House of Representatives can do,” he added. The House on Tuesday approved on second reading a proposed federal charter in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promise to set up a federal system of government. Unlike the draft prepared by Duterte’s consultative committee for Cha-Cha, the House version removes term limits for elected positions, restores the vice president in the line of succession for the presidency and removes the ban on political dynasties. Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, however, said the House should explain to the public the concept of federalism before it is implemented. “I think the level of awareness on federalism is still low,” he said. A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations in June showed that 75 percent of Filipinos said they were unaware of the federal system of government. Senator Francis Pangilinan said it is an important issue that should not rushed. Only 3 percent of the people say Charter change is important, he added. Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday defended the move of the House leadership to approve on second reading a resolution on the proposed federal charter, saying it was not rushed. House gab topbills READ: Cha-cha Arroyo said Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 15, which is among the priority measures President Duterte emphasized in his State of the Nation Address, was deliberated thoroughly, had gone through a regular process, and that its passage was a collegial decision. “It was part of the democratic process, there was a debate, it was voted on,” Arroyo told reporters. RBH pushes for a presidential-bicameral-federal system of government and empowers Congress to establish federal states by convening Congress into a constituent assembly. Arroyo said the resolution will be approved on third and final reading before Congress adjourns for a Christmas break starting Dec. 15. “Because it passed on second reading, three days after the copy is circulated, we should be taking it up on third reading… that would be Monday,” she said. Arroyo said her only contribution to the draft charter was the mechanism for setting up the federal states. Under the House’ draft Constitution, the president and vice president shall be elected with each other to serve four-year terms, subject to one reelection. The first election under the proposed Constitution will be held on the second Monday of May 2022, as proposed by the House’s federal draft.