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Cha-cha discussions to be fair, transparent —Rep. Garbin
House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairperson Alfredo Garbin Jr. on Friday assured the public that Charter change (Cha-cha) discussions will be fair and transparent.
In a statement, Garbin said his committee will treat the proposed measure "just like any other bill that is taken up in the plenary: with fairness and transparency."
The panel is looking into starting its Cha-cha hearings next week
. Garbin said it will focus solely on the "restrictive" economic provisions in the Constitution.Meanwhile, in his statement on Friday, Garbin countered the remark of Vice President Leni Robredo's spokesperson that now is not the best time to discuss possible amendments to the Constitution.
"Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez is wrong in saying that our efforts at amending economic provisions in our Constitution is a waste of our people’s time and money," he said.
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According to Garbin, with the COVID-19 pandemic wrecking havoc on the country's economy, there is a pressing need to amend the "restrictive economic provisions of our 33-year-old Constitution."
These dated provisions, he said, "impede the inflow of funds and investments crucial to enable us recover from the havoc brought upon by this public health crisis."
"And if we want to better position the Philippines, Charter change must happen now because our economy is still a long way from full recovery," Garbin said.
In a statement on Thursday, Gutierrez urged the government to work on ensuring there is enough supply of COVID-19 vaccines for all Filipinos instead of resuming deliberations on Cha-cha.
Critics fear constitutional adjustments are being made to accommodate politicians who are trying to extend their terms in office. The Philippines is set to conduct local and national elections in May 2022. —KBK, GMA News