Garbin renews call for Senate to support economic Cha-cha

House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair Alfredo Garbin Jr. on Wednesday renewed his call for the Senate to support the proposed amendments to the "restrictive" economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.

Garbin renewed his call after his panel approved Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2, which seeks to amend existing economic provisions in the Constitution in a bid to open up the Philippines to foreign direct investments which could help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a virtual press conference, Garbin urged senators to give the measure a chance so that people can decide for themselves in a plebiscite if they are amenable to the so-called economic Charter change (Cha-cha).

"Ang panawagan natin ay bigyan ito ng tsansa [ng Senado] upang maibato natin ito sa mamamayang Pilipino na tunay naman na pagmamay-ari ng Konstitusyon, ibato natin ito sa isang plebesito," he said.

"If we hear their voices and if we think of the good of the country and the benefit of the Filipino people, sana pagbigyan itong panukala na ito na amyendahan yung restrictive economic provisions ng ating Konstitusyon," Garbin added.

RBH 2 inserts the phrase "unless otherwise provided by law" to the constitutional provisions on national economy and patrimony; 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.

However, the Senate and the House of Representatives have not been on the same page when it comes to Cha-cha, with Senate President Vicente Sotto III himself reportedly saying that the House proposal for a constituent assembly to work on the constitutional amendments is "next to impossible" under the 18th Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, said Cha-cha talks in the last leg of President Rodrigo Duterte's term is “an exercise in futility” and a sin amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While he respects the opinion of the senators, Garbin said they cannot simply reject the proposed amendments altogether.

"Sana bigyan nila ng chance because in a democratic, representative democracy, talaga naman dapat ibato natin ito sa taumbayan," he said.

"Hindi puwedeng basta lang umayaw, tingnan dapat din nila kung ano ang ikabubuti nito sa ating bansa at madadalang benepisyo sa ating bayan," he added.

Garbin admitted that since they have high hopes that the Senate would consider the proposed amendments, they have no "second option" for now should the upper chamber decides otherwise.

"Umaasa kami, si Speaker Lord Velasco na ito ay bibigyan ng chance ng Senado. Wala pa kaming second option o Plan B kung sakaling hindi sumama yung Senado dahil kami ay naniniwala na ito ay pangangailangan, ito ay panawagan at ito ay dapat ring bigyang pans in at chance ng Senado," he said.

For now, Garbin said Velasco, who authored RBH 2, is constantly giving updates to the Senate on the steps the House has been taking regarding the economic Cha-cha.

Velasco earlier said they are aiming to finish the deliberations on the proposed economic amendments before the end of 2021 and present it to the public for ratification alongside the 2022 elections. —KBK, GMA News