Various political groups and power blocs crossed party lines in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to support House Resolutions of Both Houses No. 2 giving Congress the flexibility to amend the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.
Following a hybrid meeting called by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on the proposed Charter amendments, Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera said “there is a strong and united consensus among political leaders in the House to back Speaker Velasco’s initiative towards liberalizing the economic provisions in the Constitution.”
The lawmakers represent major political parties and blocs in the House, namely, PDP-Laban, Nacionalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Lakas-NUCD, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, Liberal Party, and Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc.
The meeting took place a day before the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, chaired by Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., resumes its hearing on Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 (RBH 2), which Velasco filed at the start of the 18th Congress in July 2019.
RBH 2 specifically aims to amend certain economic provisions of the almost 34-year-old Charter, particularly Articles XII (National Patrimony and Economy), XIV (Education, Science, Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports) and XVI (General Provisions).
The measure seeks to insert the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to several sections of the Constitution, which restrict foreign ownership of land, natural resources, public utilities, educational institutions, media and advertising.
It provides that by a vote of three-fourths of all its members, the Senate and the House of Representatives voting separately could propose amendments to the economic provisions of the basic law of the land.
Garbin assured that the proposed amendments will be limited to the economic provisions in light of the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Philippine economy.
Article XII, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution states that no franchise of a public utility shall be granted except to citizens of the Philippines, or at least 60 percent of capital is owned by Filipinos.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez said that Congress will introduce a specific line to liberalize this economic provision.
“We are going to add the phrase ‘unless otherwise provided by law’. That’s it. We are not taking away the restrictions; those will still be there,”explained the former chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments.
This amendment, he added, will have to go through a plebiscite, and “if voted upon by the public, it will be up to the next congressional leadership to introduce the specific laws to open public utility ownership to foreign entities.”
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Image credits: AP