Published February 3, 2021 2:19pm By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair Alfredo Garbin Jr. is hoping that the measure proposing amendments to the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution will be discussed in the plenary next week. Garbin made the remark after his panel adopted panel approved Speaker Lord Allan Velasco s Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2, which seeks to amend existing economic provisions in the Constitution in a bid to open up the Philippines to foreign direct investments (FDIs) which could help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a virtual press conference, Garbin said the deliberation of RBH 2 in the House plenary would allow all lawmakers to propound questions on the measure.
By ERWIN COLCOL, GMA News
Published February 2, 2021 1:09pm
Updated February 2, 2021 2:36pm The House committee on constitutional amendments on Tuesday approved the joint resolution proposing amendments to the restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution. With a vote of 62 in the affirmative, three in the negative, and three abstentions, the panel approved Speaker Lord Allan Velasco s Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 2, which seeks to amend existing economic provisions in the Constitution in a bid to open up the Philippines to foreign direct investments (FDIs) which could help the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel also subsequently approved its committee report on their deliberations and approval of the measure, which came on the 34th anniversary of the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.
The panel dropped the proposal to allow foreign ownership of land upon the motion of Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)
MANILA – To mark Constitution Day, a panel at the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a measure proposing amendments to the “restrictive” economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution.
The House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, chaired by Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., adopted Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, with 64 committee members voting in favor of the resolution, three against, and with three abstentions.
The proposal, which is principally authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, aims to amend certain economic provisions of the Charter, particularly Articles XII (National Patrimony and Economy), XIV (Education, Science, Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports), and XVI (General Provisions).
DILG Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya (PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reform (IATF-CORE) which Malaya is the chairman noted that Congress should vote separately on the proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution because of its bicameral nature.
With both chambers having separate membership, leadership, and rules, Malaya insisted that voting “separately is ideal and doable.’’
Malaya added that a legislative action through a Constituent Assembly of both houses would be the most expeditious manner of changing the Constitution.
In practice, Malaya maintained that Constitutional Conventions are not meant for amendments but are convened by Congress to draft an entirely new Charter, on the assumption that the existing Charter must be changed wholesale.
While Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III is generally supportive of lifting the "restrictive" economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution, he said restrictions on foreign ownership of land should be exempted.