Gov’t task force hopes Senate can tackle economic Cha-cha before October

FILE PHOTO: DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya. Photo from DILG

MANILA, Philippines — The national government’s task force on constitutional reform on Tuesday called on the Senate to tackle the proposed economic Charter change before the period of filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2022 elections in October.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya made the call during a press conference of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reform (IATF-CORE). The DILG chairs the said task force.

“Gusto lang po namin din ipakiusap sa ating mga ginagalang na mga senador na itong regular session alam naman po natin ay masikip ang panahon dahil sa Oktubre ay filing na ng mga certificates of candidacy,” Malaya said.

(We just want to appeal to our honorable senators that this regular session we know is cramped because the filing of certificate of candidacy is approaching.)

“So ang pakiusap po ng IATF-CORE is if the Senate can tackle this immediately before the filing of the COC ay mas maigi po siguro para bago mapag-usapan ang pulitika ay naisa batas na natin ito dahil mahaba-haba pa ang proseso nito,” he added.

(So, the IATF-CORE is appealing if the Senate can tackle this immediately, before the filing of COC is better, before we talk a lot of politics, we can put this into law because processing this needs a lot of time.)

The House of Representatives has already approved the proposed Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 which seeks to amend the “restrictive” provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

The Senate, however, needs to approve the resolution for the push for economic Cha-cha to proceed.

Malaya said the IATF-CORE has also adopted a resolution calling on the Senate to discuss economic Cha-cha as he underscored the need for long-term solutions for economic recovery in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

“If Congress will be able to pass these three economic bills (amendments to the Foreign Service Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, and amendments to the Public Service Act) plus the economic charge, we now have the perfect antidote for complete economic recovery and ensure the long term and sustainable economic development of our country,” Malaya said.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said that the proposed economic Cha-cha may face a dead end if the Senate will not be able to decide on the matter by January or February 2022.

Under the Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” would be added to the constitutional restrictions that limit foreign investors’ participation in the governing body of entities based on their proportionate share of the capital.

The same language would also be added to laws stating that only Filipino people have the right to control, own, and/or lease public utilities, educational institutions, mass media enterprises, and advertising firms in the country.

JPV