The House committee on constitutional amendments is set to reopen charter change hearings this week, with congressmen promising to focus only on amending the economic provisions of the Constitution, in particular those that prevent foreign ownership of land and certain businesses in the country.
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said charter change is meant to “free up the economy to foreign investors.”
“As global economies slowly start to reopen, we cannot allow the Philippines to lag behind in terms of investments and opportunities. We need to seize the momentum if we are to fully recover from the economic devastation of Covid-19,” Velasco said.
“Foreign investment plays a crucial role in the Philippine economy by supporting domestic jobs and the creation of physical and knowledge capital across a range of industries. The need to attract foreign capital is critical to support our economy’s recovery from Covid-19,” he added.
While foreign chambers of commerce and other big business interests have been for the longest time clamoring for the removal of the nationality restrictions in our Constitution, they also always mention other impediments to the entry of foreign investments, like the lack of infrastructure, the high cost of electricity, corruption and the ever-changing and unpredictable government policies and regulations.
Even if charter change is not linked in any way to term extensions or other schemes to perpetuate or politically benefit incumbent elective officials, and granting it would be limited to economic amendments, is this really the time to pursue it? Would it really bring more foreign investments and more capital into the economy? Would it bring more economic stability?
Perhaps.
But perhaps the political noise of such charter change moves would also do more harm than good. Perhaps, it would not alleviate the main worries of most Filipinos nowadays, like staying healthy, keeping their jobs and putting food on the table.
The government should focus instead on reducing corruption, which drains billions of pesos from the public coffers—billions that could otherwise be spent on buying good Covid-19 vaccines for Filipinos, on health, education, social services and infrastructure.
The government should also focus on a smooth transition of power promptly following the 2022 elections, so we could avoid political instability and chaotic scenes, such as those that recently happened in the US Congress.
The country needs credible elections that could sustain democracy in the longer term. We need this administration to hold free, fair and credible elections in 2022.
Strong public institutions, an equally strong civil society, the enforcement of justice, the observance of due process and human rights, these are the bedrock of a strong democratic republic.
We do not need a new Constitution to have these. Instead, the government must remain faithful and practice the provisions of the 1987 Constitution to have these.
Besides, there is really no guarantee that removing the 60-40 rule that limits foreign ownership of certain business activities in the Philippines would lead to more jobs and opportunities for our people at this time or in the immediate future, since global economic activity has been crippled by the pandemic.
Just as there is really no guarantee that charter change moves in Congress would be limited to economic provisions alone.
If a congressman files a motion to extend term limits, for instance, knowing the propensity of the House to railroad certain measures, it would come as no surprise if such a measure gets approved. Such amendments could be inserted in the resolution amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution, and if the majority wants it, then the House will approve it.
Can Filipinos really trust the politicians in Congress not to put their own self-serving interests before the country? No, not really.
There’s always the inherent danger of amendments taking a life of their own, resulting in the total overhaul of the Constitution, perhaps beyond what is necessary or what was initially intended.
One might say this position shows an extreme lack of faith in Congress. But, given its current composition, can you blame us?
Image credits: Jimbo Albano