Published January 13, 2021, 3:59 PM
Lawmakers rejected Wednesday the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments’ declaration that it is already sitting as a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) to introduce amendments to the 1987 Constitution.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate strongly opposed the declaration made by AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. during the resumption of the House panel’s deliberations on Charter change that they are already sitting as Con-Ass.
Independent opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman (FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“That is strange to me because no committee of the Senate or of the House including the Committee on Constitutional Amendments can sit as a Constituent Assembly. Because the Constituent Assembly is composed of members of the House and the Senate in a joint meeting or assembly,” Lagman said during the panel’s first hearing on Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 principally authored by House Spe
Published January 13, 2021, 6:57 PM
Economic experts threw Wednesday their all out support to the House of Representatives’ efforts to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution to make Philippines “more foreign investment-friendly” and to “accelerate” the country’s economic recovery.
Former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director general Dr. Ernesto Pernia said it is “right time” to launch the economic Charter change.
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
“Because as you can see, although the economy has really been clobbered by the pandemic, it is recovering slowly––it is getting out of the hole little by little––and we need to accelerate that getting out of the hole,” he told the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments’ first hearing on Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, principally authored by House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Lawmakers should focus on passing bills that will help in economic recovery and building the country’s resiliency rather than amending the Constitution,
Duterte signs pandemic-era 2021 budget into law
Dec 28, 2020 8:02 PM PHT
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the pandemic-era P4.5-trillion 2021 national budget into law on Monday, December 28.
The signing of Republic Act 11518 or the 2021 General Appropriations Act took place during a socially-distanced event at Malacañang, where Duterte, along with the few lawmakers and Cabinet officials present, stood wearing face masks and face shields.
The signing of the budget on Monday, 3 days before the end of the year ensured there would be no reenactment of the 2020 budget, which was not formulated to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malacañang earlier said Duterte would veto certain items in the national budget, though the President made no mention of what these were during the ceremonial signing on Monday.
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