MANILA- Senators have agreed to boycott a joint constituent assembly with the House of Representatives to amend the 1987 Constitution, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Wednesday.

The agreement was reached during an all-party caucus Tuesday night, Drilon said.

This after lawmakers in the House of Representatives adopted on Tuesday a resolution to convene as a constituent assembly to amend the 1987 charter.

• House adopts resolution to convene as con-ass to amend charter

The two chambers of the legislative branch have been divided on whether or not they should vote jointly or separately should they convene as a constituent assembly to form a new charter.

Senators said voting jointly with House members may technically dissolve the 24-member Senate as the chamber will easily be outvoted by the House with about 292 members.

• Pimentel backs joint hearings but separate vote on Cha-cha

Sen. Panfilo Lacson meanwhile moved that senators who will attend the joint assembly be expelled from the Senate. Drilon said no one objected to Lacson's motion.

"I was just concerned that in case of that remote possibility na meron in the future, he or she cannot escape a misdeed that borders on treachery to our Senate as an institution. We can use our mechanism in the ethics committee to execute my proposal," Lacson said.

-report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News