Belmonte urges colleagues to hold Cha-cha consultations

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. urged yesterday his colleagues in the House of Representatives to use the Lenten break to consult their constituents on the proposal to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

He was seeking an audience with President Aquino, who remains cool to the proposal, in the coming weeks to discuss the matter, he added.

Congress will go on recess this Saturday and will resume session on May 5. Upon resumption, the House will start plenary debates on Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 filed by Belmonte.

The resolution seeks to insert the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to Articles XII (national economy and patrimony), XIV (education, science and technology, arts, culture  and sports), and XVI (general provisions) to allow Congress in the future to ease restrictions on foreign ownership in certain industries to attract investments and generate jobs.

 Speaking to reporters, Belmonte said he expects the plenary debates to be fruitful as he expressed optimism that the RBH No. 1 would be approved in the House.

 â€œThis (recess) gives us considerable time for (House) members to reflect on it (resolution) to consult people on it, and so forth so that we are all set come May,” he said.

 â€œYou will notice this is the simplest possible Charter change that we can think of, addressing a very important issue, the economic provisions, while at the same time not opening doors but providing keys to meet contingencies as they may occur.

 â€œIt’s like – for a guy like me who has traveled around Southeast Asia starting for instance in 1987 when I first went to Vietnam. It really dismayed me, it really makes me feel very unhappy that a country so downtrodden at that point could possibly in effect equal or surpass us even in such a short period of time. Why? Because of massive investments that they have been getting from abroad.

 â€œI think a lot of people are very open to it. We have not actually had a head count (in the House). But many people belonging to different coalitions have express support for it.” 

Belmonte said he was seeking a meeting with Aquino for “a long talk” with him with the hope of securing his support for the proposal, which he said, would boost the country’s growth and create jobs.

 He would immediately sign the resolution being circulated by Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza that no political provisions in the Constitution will be touched when it comes his way, he added.

 Belmonte and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the executive branch should set aside funds for the holding of a nationwide plebiscite once the resolution is approved in the House and in the Senate.

 â€œEverything that you do requires money and really you try to look at the potential advantages and I think the potential advantages are tremendous in this case so we must find funds and I think it is possible to do that,” Belmonte said.

Belmonte’s Cha-cha initiative backed

The 33-member Visayas bloc in the House of Representatives voted yesterday to support Belmonte’s initiative for economic Charter change (Cha-cha).

In a meeting, the group, led by Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, approved a resolution expressing their collective decision to support Cha-cha.

A group member said they believe that the country could attract more foreign investments if certain economic restrictions embodied in the Constitution on foreign ownership of land and certain businesses were relaxed.

“We can achieve faster and inclusive growth, or growth that would be felt by the poor, if we have more foreign investments,” he said.

He said studies have shown that for a nation to attain inclusive growth and be able to reduce poverty, its economy has to expand by at least eight percent a year for several years.

 Benitez’s bloc is the first regional group in the House to express its support for Belmonte’s Cha-cha initiative. It has a mixed membership from major political parties, including the ruling Liberal Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, and National Unity Party.

Belmonte’s Cha-cha calls for the insertion of the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in the economic provisions of the Constitution that restrict foreign ownership of land and certain businesses.

 This would empower Congress and the President to lift such restrictions in the future if necessary. Congress has to approve a bill for every restriction to be relaxed or lifted. For the bill to become a law, it has to be signed by the President, who has the option of rejecting or vetoing it.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who is supporting the economic Cha-cha initiative, said if there were more foreign investments, the nation would be able to achieve faster economic growth.

“We have done 7.7-percent growth under President Aquino. We could do double digit or at least 10 percent with additional foreign investments. This would mean more job and income opportunities for our people,” he said.

The committee on constitutional amendments, chaired by Davao City Rep. Mylene Garcia-Albano, has endorsed economic Cha-cha.

“All stakeholders have been given the chance to air their views during the marathon hearings we conducted. We accommodated requests from members to hear the viewpoints of constitutional experts. Since we have exhausted all issues that needed to be discussed, the resolution was ripe for voting. The committee took a vote, then prepared its report and submitted it to the House,” Garcia-Albano said.

Cha-cha at the Senate

Last Feb. 18, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto filed Resolution of Both Houses No. 1  containing proposed amendments to certain restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution, specifically Articles 12, 14 and 16.

Just like Belmonte’s proposal in House Resolution No. 1, Recto’s involved the insertion of the phrase “unless otherwise provided law” into particular paragraphs in the Constitution. – With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Alexis Romero