House sets economic charter change talks

MANILA, Philippines — A key House official sees no “resistance” from the majority of members of the chamber to amending restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution.

“Nobody has messaged me saying their fears on Charter change. As a deputy Speaker, there’s none. I haven’t heard any negative comments from those I have spoken to in the party list groups,” Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy told reporters on Monday.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco will meet with House party leaders on Tuesday to discuss Charter change a day before committee hearings officially begin.

“The focus is not only on economic Charter change. I think the focus is on the priority legislative agenda for 2021 and 2022,” Deputy Speaker Alfredo Garbin Jr. told reporters.

The House committee on constitutional amendments is set to resume Charter change hearings on Jan. 13.

Garbin said his committee aimed to approve the economic amendments this week.