Duterte urged: Include economic provisions in Cha-cha

MANILA, Philippines – The incoming Duterte administration can include economic changes in its plan to amend the Constitution and shift the present form of government to federalism, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

Belmonte expressed regret that the outgoing 16th Congress failed to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution, which were meant to attract more foreign investments.

He suggested that the incoming administration amend the Constitution through a constitutional convention or con-con, to be composed of elected delegates, as it wants major changes. 

“If we’re going to have a constitutional convention, why not consider other provisions, including those that we had been proposing,” Belmonte said. 

“Our proposal was coached in a simple way with no more complicated amendments that was supposed to be approved through three-fourths vote of the two Houses voting separately,” he said.

The Speaker was referring to the proposed Resolution of Both Houses 1, which seeks to include the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in the economic provisions.

This means the restrictions remain unless Congress enacts laws to change them.

He said the previous administrations as well as major academic institutions have made extensive studies on proposals to amend the Constitution, and the incoming Duterte government could take a look at them. 

Belmonte said president-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s “strong moral influence” could restrain the con-con from exceeding its mandate.

Under a federal form of government, authority is decentralized and the regions are given autonomy on many matters, including taxation and exploitation of resources.

Comelec reiterates SK, barangay poll postponement

Meanwhile, Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista proposed anew the postponement of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls, saying they should be synchronized with the selection of con-con delegates.

“We are preparing to hold the barangay and SK elections, but we are still proposing a postponement because we may have an election for con-con. It would be better for all of these to be held at the same time,” he said.