Romualdez leaves fate of economic amendments in Cha-cha to Senate
MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Wednesday that the Senate will decide the fate of the proposed economic Charter change (Cha-cha).
In an ambush interview, Romualdez was asked how he thinks the Cha-cha proposals would fare now that Senate President Francis Escudero heads the other half of the Congress.
The House has passed Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7, which seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution by opening the industries of public utilities, basic education, and advertising to foreign ownership. Still, the Senate has not yet finished discussing its own version under RBH No. 6.
“Well, the economic amendments to the constitution, we will leave that up to our friends in the Senate, because it is pending there,” Romualdez said on the sidelines of a meeting about the convergence program between the National Irrigation Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“For me, we are for whatever would be better for the country, and we feel that economic reforms and amendments can do that. I’m sure that the Senate will consider it,” he added.
Romualdez again relayed his good wishes to Escudero, who was elected Senate President in place of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri during Monday’s session.
“Well, we congratulate the new Senate President Chiz Escudero. We would like to thank Senator Migz Zubiri for his service as the former Senate president,” he said.
“We look forward to continue the working relationship and partnership with the Senate and we can only look forward to more productivity and for the efficiency in the passage of priority legislation under the administration of President Marcos, Jr., for and by the people,” he added.
READ: Romualdez upbeat on House partnership with Senate under Escudero
RBH No. 7 was approved on the third reading last March 2024, with 287 lawmakers voting in the affirmative, and eight voting in the negative, while two abstained.
If RBH No. 6 and RBH No. 7 are ratified by voters in a plebiscite handled by the Commission on Elections, three provisions of the 1987 Constitution would be amended by adding the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law”:
- Section 11 of Article XII (National Patrimony and Economy), where the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” is inserted in the provision that bars foreign ownership of a public utility except in a case where 60 percent of the total capital belongs to Filipino citizens
- Section 4 of Article XIV (Education, Science, and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports) where the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” is inserted in the provision that bars foreign ownership of basic educational institutions except in a case where 60 percent of the total capital belongs to Filipino citizens.
- Section 11 of Article XVI (General Provisions), where the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” is inserted in two portions: first, the provision that bars foreign ownership in the advertising industry except in a case where 70 percent of the total capital belongs to Filipino citizens; and in the provision that limits foreign investors participation in entities to how much their capital share is
READ: House approves RBH 7 on third reading
Once ratified, Congress would have the power to set the rate of foreign ownership for the industries of public utilities, basic education, and advertising.
However, as early as February, there were concerns as to whether the Senate could approve RBH No. 6 on time, given that they have preferred to discuss priority measures first.
READ: Romualdez: Amending Charter a crucial step for PH economic development
Last March, Deputy Speaker David Suarez called on leaders of the House and Senate to meet during the Holy Week break to discuss the next steps amid fears that Congress may be running out of time to amend the 1987 Constitution.
Suarez said this is in consideration of possible constitutional challenges that the proposed amendments may face.
