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MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives will resume its debates on the change of statutes (Cha-cha) on January 13, but lawmakers assured that the discussions will only be on the proposed amendments in the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Ako Bicol party list representative Alfredo Garbin Jr., who chairs the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, said the panel will address BOTH Resolution No. 2 which was introduced by President Lord Allan Velasco in July 2019.
Garbin explained that Velasco’s resolution only proposes amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution amid concerns that Cha-cha is being pressured to extend the term of lawmakers as well as the president, especially with the upcoming 2022 elections. .
“The proposed Resolution contains seven sets of proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution that address specific economic provisions. The amendments will be presented to the Filipino people after obtaining at least three-quarters of the votes of the two houses of Congress that vote separately, ”Garbin said in a statement.
At Velasco’s proposal, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” will be added in various sections of Article XII (National Heritage and Economy), Article XIV (Education, Science and Technology, Art, Culture and Sports) and Article XVI (Provisions general).
This includes provisions on limiting the ownership and management of media and educational institutions to citizens of the Philippines.
“As can be seen in the texts of the seven sets of proposed amendments, the words UNLESS THE LAW GRANTES OTHERWISE, meaning that the actual effective amendments to the provisions would be laws that have not yet been submitted and enacted.” Garbin said.
“The permission of the Filipino people is requested to entrust Congress with the promulgation of exceptions to the general rules established in particular economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. That is what the Resolution seeks to achieve: to obtain the authorization of the Filipino voters to promulgate the Laws that establish exceptions. Nothing else, “he added.
In a separate statement, Garbin said that the proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution are not a waste of time and money, even as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Garbin, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy underscored the need to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
These restrictive provisions, Garbin said, “prevent the entry of funds and investments crucial to allow us to recover from the ravages caused by this public health crisis.”
“And if we want to better position the Philippines, the Charter change must happen now because our economy is still a long way from full recovery,” Garbin said.
Likewise, the legislator assured that constitutional reforms will be addressed with fairness and transparency.
In the Senate, Senators Francis Tolentino and Ronald Dela Rosa also presented a resolution calling Congress to a constituent assembly to introduce “limited” amendments to the Constitution.
But unlike the House resolution, the senators’ resolution states that the amendments include “democratic representation” in addition to economic provisions.
However, it is unclear what the proposed amendments are on democratic representation.
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