A push to amend the 1987 Constitution may face rough sailing with Sen. Francis Escudero at the helm of the Upper Chamber, Sen. Nancy Binay said Wednesday.

Escudero, who replaced Sen. Miguel Zubiri as Senate President, said Tuesday he is one of the most vocal critics of recent moves to revise the Charter and that he has no plans of changing his position. 

He said all hearings regarding efforts to amend the Constitution are canceled for now, saying the Senate will make a decision on the matter as a group.

"Sa usapin ng Chacha mukhang malabo na siya. Kasi si SP Chiz nung hindi pa siya SP, siya 'yung bulong ng bulong sa mga kasamahan namin na hindi okay 'yan. Vocal din naman si SP Chiz na ayaw niya itong Chacha," Binay noted.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV also said he would suspend judgment of Escudero, saying he knows the new Senate President is independent-minded. "He used to be a close ally of PNoy; he was never rabidly pro-Duterte; and he even openly campaigned for VP Leni in 2022. In short, let's suspend judgment for a moment," he said.

Escudero earlier lashed out at moves to amend the Charter via a people's initiative, saying none other than Speaker Martin Romualdez had taken credit for it last December 2023. "History has taught us that nothing good comes out from anything that begins with a lie," he said. 

He later said people reject any move to change the Charter because of doubts that it would be used to remove term limits for top officials. 

“Malakas ang duda ng tao na pulitika ang babaguhin at hindi ekonomiya,” he said.