House needs more time to approve economic amendments to 1987 Constitution
February 9, 2015 at 09:41
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House of Representatives still needs more time to deliberate and pass the proposed economic amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Belmonte said more members of the lower house want to have deeper discussions on the Resolution of Both Houses 1, or the proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution.
“Most of the interpellation is over [last December], but now the number of interpellators is increasing,” Belmonte said.
The House of Representatives minority bloc, the interpellators of the so-called economic Charter change (Cha-cha), vowed to block any efforts to amend economically or politically the 1987 Constitution.
They said any form of Cha-cha now, whether it be economic or political, is dangerous because it will open the floodgates for any or wholesale amendments to the Constitution.
The Makabayan bloc is composed of Party-list Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna; Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of Gabriela Women’s Party; Rep. Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers; Rep. Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis; and Terry Ridon of Kabataan.
Moreover, Belmonte added that he is confident that members of the ruling Liberal Party and the majority at the lower chamber will join him in passing the resolution.
According to the Speaker, the lower chamber is still the main proponent of the economic Cha-cha and senators would still wait for the House version once it passes the third reading before the upper house tackles it.
“Once we pass it here in the House, the Cha-cha will pass easily in the Senate,” he said.
The amendments to the Charter will be approved through separate votings by the both chambers, with a three-fourths vote required from them.
The resolution, filed by Belmonte and Sen. Ralph Recto, is eyeing to amend provisions on the 60-40 rule that limits foreign ownership of certain activities in the Philippines.
The resolution will include the phrase “unless provided by law” in the foreign-ownership provision of the Constitution, particularly land ownership, public utilities, natural resources, media and advertising industries.
Under Article XII of the Constitution, foreign investors are prohibited to own more than 40 percent of real properties and businesses, while they are totally restricted to exploit natural resources and own any company in the media industry.
Earlier, several businessmen expressed support for the passage of the economic Cha-cha.
Businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan has said that to promote inclusive growth in the country, Congress should pass the resolution amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Makati Business Club Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. also indicated his support to the move to amend the Constitution.
Belmonte also reiterated the planned amendments are purely for the economic provisions, saying he will not allow any member to insert any provision other than what is specified in his resolution.
“We are not interested in changing the [form of] government; only the economic Chacha. Foreigners don’t care what form of government we have. What they are interested in is what kind of economic policies we have,” the Speaker said.
