Charter change is ultimately people’s choice–lawmaker

THE chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments said the ultimate decision to change the 1987 Constitution still rests with the people, and not Congress.

This, as a ranking church leader called on political leaders to discern well their intentions and give priority to helping people recover from the crippling effects of the pandemic, instead of tinkering with the Charter.

" . . . Whatever we approve in the committee and in the plenary remains a proposal until it is ratified by the Filipino people and the plebiscite called for that purpose,” said Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., the panel chairman.

“Without ratification, the Charter change still remains a proposal,” he added.

He reiterated that the proposal to amend the Constitution is limited only to its economic provisions, as specified in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2.

The Bicolano solon explained that should the constitutional amendments be ratified, this will not mean the automatic lifting of economic restrictions, but will give the next Congress the freedom to enact legislation that is more responsive to economic conditions and realities.

“The next Congress will have its leeway and flexibility to enact legislation that conform to the present economic conditions,” Garbin said.

Meanwhile, Garbin said it is always the right time to do the right thing, especially when it comes to amending the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

“When you speak of the timing, it is the right time. I always say it’s always the right time to do the right thing and this is the right thing to do,” said Garbin, as some members of the business sector questioned the timing of moves to amend the Charter instead of prioritizing other economic bills.

According to Garbin, the House leadership expects deliberations from January to December this year, with the plebiscite to be conducted together with the 2022 national elections.

The lawmaker called unfounded the concerns by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Makati Business Club (MBC) that the House would be distracted by efforts to change the Constitution, citing Congress’s outstanding record in fast-tracking vital measures to address the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to stimulate the economy.

Prior to the global pandemic, both the PCCI and the MBC had submitted separate position papers in favor of lifting the restrictive economic provision of the Constitution, Garbin said.

Possible

DEPUTY Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, meanwhile, disagreed with Senate President Vicente Sotto lll that Charter change (Cha-cha) is “next to impossible” under the present Congress.

“The Cha-cha the Senate president is talking about is wholesale revision of the Constitution. That is not what we envision. What Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and the House are proposing is limiting Cha-cha to the basic law’s economic provisions that restrict foreign investor participation in businesses in the country,” he said.

He said the proposal calls for just adding the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to those provisions so that Congress would have the power to alter the restrictions when the economic situation warrants.

Rodriguez welcomed Sotto’s statement that the Senate may be open to considering Velasco’s limited economic amendment proposal provided the proper procedure was followed and no political change was considered.