House panel chair hopes cha-cha plenary debates can begin next week

MANILA, Philippines — House committee on constitutional amendments Alfredo Garbin Jr. hopes that the resolution pushing to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution can be referred to the plenary for further debates by next week.

Garbin made the remark Wednesday, a day after his committee adopted Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 (RBH 2), which seeks to amend specific economic provisions of the Constitution, despite critics questioning its timing especially as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Umaasa tayo that by next week, this will be referred to the plenary para makapag-umpisa na kaagad ng debate sa plenaryo. ‘Yun naman ang pinakaimportante para mapag-usapan ito, mahaba ‘yung diskusyon doon, mabigyan lahat ng pagkakataon,” Garbin said during the Ugnayan sa Batasan press briefing.

(We are hoping that this will be referred to the plenary by next week so we can start with the debates. That’s the most important thing, that we discuss this and everyone will be given a chance to interpellate.)

“This time around in the plenary, where we exercise our constituent power to propose amendments to the Constitution, lahat mapagbibigyan ng oras para sa kanilang katanungan upang mabusisi talaga itong proposal,” he added.

(This time around in the plenary, where we exercise our constituent power to propose amendments to the Constitution, everyone will be given the opportunity to ask their questions so we can scrutinize this proposal.)

Garbin said the amount of time RBH 2 will spend in the plenary still depends on how many lawmakers will interpellate.

But Garbin believes that the period of debates on RBH 2 will not take a long time as several questions regarding the measure have already been addressed at the committee level.

“Sa tingin ko naman mapapadali na ito dahil for the eight hearings that we conducted in the committee on constitutional amendments this 18th Congress, sa tingin ko na-exhasut na natin lahat ‘yung mga katanungan at nasagot na ‘yung ng mga eksperto including the committee,” Garbin said.

(I think it will not take a long time because, for the eight hearings that we conducted in the committee on constitutional amendments this 18th Congress, I think we already exhausted all the questions and they have been answered by experts including the committee.)

Under RBH 2, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” would be added to the constitutional restrictions that limit the participation of foreign investors in the governing body of entities based on their proportionate share in the capital.

The same phrase would likewise be added to provisions saying only Filipino citizens can control, own, and/or lease public utilities, educational institutions, mass media companies, and advertising companies in the country.

The committee, however, excluded from the resolution the proposed amendment to Section 7 of Article XII referring to the ban on foreign ownership of land.

EDV