MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is looking to present its proposed amendments to the constitution for the public's ratification alongside the 2022 national elections, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco disclosed Sunday morning.
"We hope to finish the debates before the end of 2021 and present it to the public for ratification alongside the election of new leaders in the 2022 national elections. Until then, we assure the public that the debates on RBH 2 will be transparent and fair," Velasco said in a statement sent to reporters.
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According to the House speaker, the lower chamber's constitutional amendments committee was looking at inserting the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in the charter's general provisions and sections on National Patrimony and Economy, Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports, among others.
"The addition of this phrase will allow Congress to enact laws to free up the economy to foreign investors, or maintain the status quo," Velasco added. "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."
However, should the attempt at charter change succeed, the same phrase would also be inserted in sections in the constitution providing that only Filipino citizens may control educational institutions and mass media companies, along with sections restricting private corporations' holding of lands of public domain.
Why does this matter?
When it last attempted to amend the constitution, the Palace said that doing so was not a priority of the administration despite Duterte's promising earlier during his campaign to the presidency to shift to a federal type of government which would require amendments to the constitution. With new leadership installed in the House — where the chief executive holds a supermajority — a change in its tune on the matter remains entirely within the realm of possibility, with a reinvigorated push for Cha-cha alive in well in the lower chamber.
Lawmakers under the Makabayan bloc in the lower chamber cast fear on Thursday that the renewed push for charter change would only give way to term extensions for elected officials. “It’s open season once debates on charter change start,” Rep. Ferdinand Gaite (Bayan Muna party-list) said then in Filipino. “That means any provision in the Constitution can be tackled. There will be no holds barred. It’s not true that it will only be limited to economic provisions,” he added.
— Franco Luna with reports from Xave Gregorio and Christian Deiparine