Party, bloc leaders at House back ‘economic’ Cha-cha

Leaders of various political parties and blocs at the House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed support to the proposal of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco to amend the "restrictive" economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.

A caucus was held on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments hearing on the proposed "economic" Charter change (Cha-cha) scheduled on Wednesday.

“There is a strong and united consensus among political leaders in the House to back Speaker Velasco’s initiative towards liberalizing the economic provisions in the Constitution,” said Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera after attending the hybrid meeting called no less than by Velasco.

Among those physically present in the meeting were Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, Kristine Singson Meehan, and Wes Gatchalian, Quezon Representative Mark Enverga, Quezon City Representative Kit Belmonte, Negros Occidental Representative Francisco Benitez, and House constitutional amendments panel chair Alfredo Garbin Jr.

Those who attended through teleconferencing include Deputy Speakers Doy Leachon, Roberto Puno, and Eric Martinez, Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano, and Representatives Mikey Arroyo, Isidro Ungab, Robert Ace Barbers, Michael John Duavit, Joet Garcia, Rommel Angara, Franz Alvarez , Eileen Ermita-Buhain, Sharon Garin, and Stella Quimbo.

The lawmakers present in the meeting represented major political parties and blocs in the chamber, namely PDP-Laban, Nacionalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Lakas-NUCD, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, Liberal Party, and Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc.

The proposal to amend the restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution is contained in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2, which Velasco himself filed back in July 2019.

RBH No. 2 inserts the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law" to the constitutional provisions on national patrimony and economy; education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports; and on general provisions to give Congress flexibility to enact laws that would free up the economy to foreign investors.

It also provides that by a vote of three-fourths of all its members, the Senate and the House, voting separately, could introduce amendments to said provisions in the Constitution.

Garbin maintained that the proposed amendments will focus only on the economic provisions, and no political amendments will be discussed in the hearings.

He said the slight change in the Constitution's language "will improve the investment climate and generate much needed investments and jobs to counteract the economic contraction caused by the pandemic."

Singson-Meehan shared Garbin's view, noting that the pandemic has shown the country's limited fund inflow which could be attributed to the economic restrictions in the Constitution.

“The pandemic hit economies around the world, but we were among those whose economy suffered greatly as we struggled with inflow of funds,” she said.

“We still have a long journey ahead of us in terms of recovering from the pandemic, as such there is an urgent need to address these restrictive provisions in the Constitution now," she added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said that Congress will simply add the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law" to certain economic provisions in the Constitution to add flexibility to them.

“We are going to add the phrase ‘unless otherwise provided by law.' That’s it. We are not taking away the restrictions; those will still be there,” he said.

This amendment will also have to go through a plebiscite, which the House leadership envisions to coincide with the 2022 elections, Rodriguez said.

“If voted upon by the public, it will be up to the next congressional leadership to introduce the specific laws to open public utility ownership to foreign entities," he added.

Opposition lawmaker Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, however, criticized RBH No. 2, saying that it provides for a "mongrelized" process for amending the Constitution.

The measure, he said, effectively authorizes Congress to make constitutional amendments by legislation, which is in violation of the amendatory procedures provided under the Constitution, namely Constituent Assembly, Constitutional Convention, and People's Initiative.

Anakalusugan party-list Representative Mike Defensor, meanwhile, also expressed apprehensions to resuming the Cha-cha talks at the House, saying that it would only cause division among lawmakers and among the public in general amid the pandemic.—LDF, GMA News