“The Duterte administration’s cha-cha will also pave the way for greater depletion and plunder of our natural resources due to corruption and fascist rule. It will also open up space for amendments to political provisions such as lifting of the term limits.”
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – While the country focused its attention on the first oral arguments at the Supreme Court on the petitions against the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, the House of Representatives Committee on constitutional amendments adopted today a resolution proposing to lift restrictions on the economic provisions of the 1987 Philippine constitution.
Resolution of Both Houses (RHB) No. 2 proposes adding the phrase “unless provided by law” to the provisions that guarantees Filipino ownership and control of the public domain, public utilities, educational institutions, mass media companies among others.
Section 10 of the 1987 constitution provides a 60-40 ownership rule wherein Filipinos must own the majority of a certain investment.
The RHB was filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
At least 64 members of the committee voted in favor of the RBH, three voted against and three abstained.
In his Twitter account, Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said that the move is “ill timed” and “not a solution to the country’s chronic economic crisis aggravated by the pandemic.”
“It will not only usher an even more control by foreigners to our already liberalized economy that causes hardships to our people,” he added.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago condemned the passage of the resolution to the committee level.
“The Duterte administration’s cha-cha will also pave the way for greater depletion and plunder of our natural resources due to corruption and fascist rule. It will also open up space for amendments to political provisions such as lifting of the term limits,” Elago said.
Elago pointed out that there is not even a review of the impact of foreign ownership in the education sector while the country suffers from the impacts caused by the pandemic and economic collapse. The call of the educational institutions, she said, is the safe reopening of schools, increased subsidies to students, teachers, staff, and schools themselves, as well as new infrastructure for health protocols and sanitation requirements and not charter change.
Read: What you need to know about Charter Change and its possible effects on the education sector
Labor group Defend Jobs Philippines said that instead of focusing on the important issues such as COVID-19 vaccination roll-out plan, massive generation of employment for millions of displaced Filipino workers, economic recovery program and increasing wages of our working people, “lawmakers seem to be busy in pushing and dancing to the tune of this anti-worker, anti-people anti-national and pro-foreign business cha-cha.”
“In the midst of the massive effects of COVID-19 pandemic to the lives and livelihoods of our worked and people, our legislators are passing moves to change the constitution to impose unfair economic provisions that will make our lives more miserable in the future,” said Christian Lloyd Magsoy, Defend Jobs Philippines spokesperson.
Peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) also assailed the passage of the resolution. Danilo Ramos, chairperson of KMP said this only proves that the interest of the people is not in the heart of Congress. “We hope that this will not happen to the Supreme Court,” Ramos said referring to the oral arguments on the Anti-Terror Act at the SC.
KMP has been at the forefront in opposing proposals to lift protectionist measures on the economic provisions in the constitution. He lamented that charter change is like serving the country’s natural resources on a silver platter to foreign plunderers.
“Nothing will be left for future generations of Filipinos if we allow cha-cha to prosper,” Ramos said.
