House approves RBH 2

MANILA, Philippines — Voting 251-21 with two abstentions, lawmakers from the House of Representatives voted last night to approve on third and final reading the Resolution of Both Houses 2 aimed at amending the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.

“We hope our colleagues in the Senate will see the wisdom in this measure and allow Congress to present it to the public for ratification alongside the election of new leaders in the 2022 national elections,” Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, author of RBH 2, said.

“Our intention then, as now, was purely to help our country rise above this pandemic through liberalizing the restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution that have long prevented us from becoming fully competitive with our Asian neighbors,” the Marinduque solon said.

This may, however, end up dead in the water following the reluctance of senators to take it up, maybe even after Congress goes on a recess on June 4, or when it resumes sessions on July 26, when the national budget for 2022 will be deliberated upon.

“The House should give it its last rites instead of transmitting it to the Senate where it will be dead on arrival,” independent opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman, who voted no to RBH 2 that Velasco authored, said.

“There is no need to remove the so-called restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution to encourage the entry of foreign direct investments if the Philippines is able to resolutely address the composite determinants of FDIs like ease of doing business,” Lagman insisted.

Members of the Makabayan Bloc joined Lagman and several others in blocking the measure.

But Rep. Precious Hipolito-Castelo firmly believes there is still time for the Senate – where actions of the House need concurrence owing to the bicameral nature of Congress – to scrutinize and deliberate on the proposal.

She said the proposed economic revisions in the 1987 Constitution – contained in Speaker Velasco’s RBH 2 – remains “very much alive and can still succeed within this year.”

“So the Senate cannot really consider it before we go on our annual mandatory break. We will transmit it to them during the recess and they will have time to scrutinize it and act on it during our third and last regular session, which starts on July 26,” she said.

Castelo said the two chambers have enough time to take final action on the economic Cha-cha resolution this year or before Congress goes on its election campaign adjournment early next year.

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, who is opposed to Velasco’s leadership, could not help but predict RBH 2’s doom following the refusal of the senators to toe the House-initiated line.

“Resolution of Both Houses 2 is practically dead in the water. Passing RBH 2 is an exercise in futility as it appears dead in the water in the Senate,” he said.

“Going through the motion of passing RBH 2 on third, final reading will just be an exercise in futility, especially when the House leadership could better spend the precious hours on more urgent measures such as on COVID-19 response and economic recovery,” he added.

Rep. Sharon Garin (party-list AAMBIS-OWA), chair of the House committee on economic affairs, nevertheless maintained that RBH 2 will boost the country’s economy that has been battered by the global pandemic for more than a year now.

“Easing foreign restrictions in the Constitution can boost the country’s performance and competitiveness. This economic reform can generate more jobs, improve the quality of human resource and foster sustainable economic growth,” she explained.

Garin likewise underscored that the transfer of technologies and know-how from advanced countries can help aid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and bring new opportunities for Filipinos.

“We need new capital, ideas and technology as we tread the road toward economic resiliency. I do not believe that this will be a threat to our patrimony. I think this will improve the lives of all Filipinos,” she said.