MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is likely to transmit to the Senate a draft resolution paving the way for the shift to federalism in February, a key administration lawmaker hinted yesterday.

Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, chair of the House committee on constitutional amendments, bared that only four lawmakers will interpellate on Concurrent Resolution 09 creating a constituent assembly that will draft the federal constitution.

“We started it at the plenary last Dec. 13, I think it will end in January. So by February, it can be transmitted to the senators for their concurrence,” Mercado said in an interview over radio dzBB.

House leaders led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez are rushing the draft federal constitution so that the plebiscite on it will be incorporated in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in May.

Mercado said the super majority coalition in the House prefers the constituent assembly (con-ass) mode over the costly constitutional convention (con-con), which Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles said will cost P7 billion, and people’s initiative (PI).

The House and Senate will resume sessions on Jan. 15 after a month-long break.

Mercado said administration lawmakers are open to House members voting separately from their Senate counterparts like what they did when Congress extended martial law in Mindanao twice.

“I think Speaker and fellow lawmakers are amenable to separate voting. We are willing to vote separately. That is my personal view after I have talked to other members, they don’t have a problem with that,” he added.

But Mercado did not say if the counting of votes will be done separately or jointly.

In the case of martial law extension, the voting from the joint session of the bicameral Congress was done separately but the counting of votes was done jointly.

Mercado said the concurrent resolution will involve only a minor revision and not a total overhaul of the 1987 Constitution, as per the declaration of Alvarez in his previous pronouncements.

As far as Camarines Sur Rep. L-Ray Villafuerte is concerned, it’s now “full steam ahead” for the process to shift to a federal system of government that should include removing the provisions that limit foreign ownership in various sectors of the economy.

“Federalism and foreign investments will sustain the economy’s growth momentum and enable the government to put flesh into President Duterte’s vision to disperse growth and development to the regions,” he added.

For Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, term limits and election postponement are side issues which should not divert the country from the greater objective of system change towards better governance and full national development.

These are “mere possibilities during the transition period that may or may not be necessary,” he said.

“These are but options that Congress may consider for a smooth transition but they are not a pre-requisite since the shift can still be accomplished during the last three years of the administration without need of term extension or postponement of the polls,” he added.