Plenary debates on economic Cha-cha to start next week —Garbin

The plenary debates on the proposal to amend "restrictive" economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution are set to start next week, House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chairperson Alfredo Garbin Jr. said Monday.

The debates will start on February 22, Garbin told reporters.

The panel on Tuesday last week approved Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2, which aims 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.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has said opening up the country to foreign investors is crucial to help the Philippine economy recover from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RBH No. 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.

Garbin has been urging the Senate to support the proposed amendments to the "restrictive" economic provisions in the present Constitution so that the public could decide for themselves in a plebiscite if they are amenable to the so-called economic Charter change. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News