Charter change is tall order, solons say

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. may not have as easy a time getting House backing for Charter change as he did for the impeachment move against appointees of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, some lawmakers said.

Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, a fellow Liberal Party member like Belmonte, expressed doubts Belmonte would be able to convince lawmakers, especially those coming from agriculture-based provinces, to agree to Charter change (Cha-cha), and open foreign ownership to land, utilities and media.

“Cha-cha is different from impeachment, it’s more difficult to push and more complicated. Although I want to change the Constitution, fears of the impact of foreign land ownership on the country’s food security are too real to ignore,” said Biazon in a phone interview.

Act Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said Belmonte should not be as cocksure that he would get the two-thirds majority vote in a constituent assembly for Cha-cha just like he did in impeaching former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“It remains to be seen whether the House leadership can muster the numbers to railroad approval of Charter change, given the overwhelming public opinion against it,” said Tinio.

Tinio said Cha-cha would likely be met with massive protests and a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court. “As was proven when Ramos, then Arroyo tried to ram (Cha-cha) through, massive protests in the streets are the most effective means of thwarting Cha-cha,” said Tinio.

Colmenares said Belmonte was likely to lose face after boasting that Cha-cha would be easily approved in the House.

“I don’t think Cha-cha will get the same number of votes as the impeachment. There is no clamor for Cha-cha among the people. Besides Cha-cha now is still very dangerous and may again lead to debates on term extensions and 100-percent foreign ownership of land and businesses. There are more pressing matters.”

Biazon said he does not share Belmonte’s bravado because it was difficult to gauge the interest of lawmakers and it would be difficult to limit the debates to the Constitution’s economic provisions.

Both Biazon and Tinio said that if Belmonte was confident that Cha-cha had the people’s backing, the amendments should be made through a constitutional convention where the delegates would be elected in a special poll.

Meanwhile, a group of economists urged changes in the economic provisions of the Constitution.

Open letter to Aquino

The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), in an open letter to President Aquino, said the repeal of restrictive economic provisions are urgently needed to finally end the reliance of the economy on remittances from overseas Filipino workers.

“We want our growth transformed from a consumption-driven one to an investment-driven one because only investment-driven growth will grow jobs and reduce unemployment,” said the statement signed by FEF president Calixto Chikiamco. The country needed to amend the Constitution and announce to the world that it was open for business, he added.

FEF is chaired by former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo while its senior advisers are former Prime Minister Cesar Virata, UP Economics Professor Emeritus and former Economic Planning Minister Gerardo Sicat and former Finance Minister Ramon del Rosario Jr. Its board members include Romy Bernardo, Ernest Leung, Thomas Allen, Art Corpuz, Felipe Medalla, Vaugn Montes, Gary Olivar, Simon Paterno, Gloria Tan-Climaco and Francis Varela. With Doris C. Dumlao