House Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. believes that choosing the constituents assembly will make Charter change more acceptable to the Senate and local business groups.
In a statement Tuesday, March 28, Gonzales particularly mentioned how choosing con-ass would address the misgivings of Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri and his colleagues on the plenary powers of a con-con, as well as the concern of the Makati Business Club and big business groups on the high cost of a convention, which had been estimated at a minimum of P14 billion.
“We could agree under a joint resolution to limit the effort to rewriting the economic provisions. I think there is consensus on that in both chambers. Any political amendment proposal will be immediately rejected,” he said. The vast majority of the 314 con-con delegates would need to be elected, thus the need to hold an elections. They will be entitled to allowances of P10,000 per work day for a period of seven months.
Under a con-ass, sitting House members and senators themselves will perform the task of the con-con delegates.