House Majority Floor Leader Arthur Defensor ruled out on Wednesday the possibility that Charter change proposals would have its way in the joint congressional session which started Wednesday, saying the historical proceedings is just strictly intended to review Proclamation 1959 and the President’s report justifying it.

Defensor said that since the only agenda of the session is the presidential proclamation and report, any effort to raise the issue of Charter change would be declared out of order. “There is no way...Any guy who will include 'Cha-cha' is out of order. The only agenda is Proclamation 1959."

He also said that Congress in joint session would strictly limit its discussion to the agenda set for it.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he will resist other matters raised during the joint session other than the presidential proclamation.

"The topic is the consideration of the report of the President with respect to Proclamation No. 1959.... I will resist other matters," Nograles said.

Nograles earlier said that the joint congressional debate would be limited to 20 hours as agreed by the Senate and House panels that drafted that rules that would govern it.

He said the limitation was set to keep the joint Senate-House session from having a protracted proceeding.

“The last portion of the rules which may interest you is that the House, those who want to speak, and the senate, senators who want to speak, have a maximum of 10 hours each. Ten hours for the Senate and 10 hours for the House, maximum. It's up to the Senate how to rigodon their speakers and it's up to the House how to consume the 10 hours,” he said.

Nograles said that the House leadership did not object to the proposed ten-hour time allocated for the members of the House, although it has more members, because he expects that not all their members would talk. “Sa Senate lugi kami dyan kasi 260 kami eh. 23 lang sila eh pero ok lang....the senators can decide themselves how to consume the 10 hours.”