MANILA - A consultative committee member on Thursday slammed what he called the administration’s "double-talk" on federalism, suggesting his experts’ group might have been "taken for a ride" in drafting a proposed constitution.

Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, a member of the drafting committee, lashed out at Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, who had both publicly opposed his group's proposed charter.

Pernia earlier warned that adopting a federal system of government would "wreak havoc" on the country’s "fiscal situation."

Dominguez on Wednesday told a Senate budget hearing he was "absolutely" against the federal charter prepared by Aquino and 21 other experts handpicked by President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Enough of (the) double-talk. If the President is now cool to federalism, let him give the order to abandon the federalist ship," the priest wrote on Facebook.

"Then all of us fools, who wrote the draft and defended it with all our might, will know that we have been taken for a ride -- for a very expensive ride -- but we shall at least have the chance to abandon ship before it is scuttled!”

'QUAVERING FALSETTO'

The priest said Dominguez's and Pernia's pronouncements could be meant to "pave the way" for the president to announce eventually that he had been "advised by my economists that federalism is as bad for our national health as smoking is to a person."

"Let's stop fooling ourselves," Aquino said, noting that the 2 officials had been speaking "loudly against federalism" when "freedom of expression does not apply to Cabinet officials in respect to policy."

The President, he said, should speak "with a convincing baritone" if he was still pushing for federalism "rather than in quavering falsetto."

"And if he favors federalism let him sack Dominguez and Pernia or command them to keep their traps shut," Aquino said.

The consultative committee's version is expected to serve as a "working draft" during deliberations at the House of Representatives.

But senators have yet to decide whether the 1987 constitution has to be revised and in what manner.