Militant solons rejoice over derailed economic Charter change

MILITANT lawmakers rejoiced over the “derailment” of the economic Charter change bill after it failed to muster enough votes on the plenary Wednesday night.

In a statement Thursday, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said the House leadership’s failure to pass the Resolution of Both Houses 1, criticized as selling out the country’s patrimony, is a victory days before the country’s Independence Day celebration.

“Cha-cha’s derailment last night (Wednesday) is a good assertion of our country’s independence and very timely for our commemoration of Independence Day tomorrow (Friday),” Colmenares said.

The congressman expressed gratitude to the militant groups led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, which mobilized a camp out outside the House of Representatives since Monday against Charter change.

“As it is though, we are glad members of the House did not push through with the Cha-cha vote because it would only exacerbate the poverty of the Filipino people. We need genuine land reform and national industrialization instead of this obsession with foreign investors and foreign led development programs,” Colmenares said.

The resolution was not brought up on the floor for third reading Wednesday after the leadership failed to gather enough votes to have it passed, according to Belmonte, who earlier expressed confidence that it would be approved Wednesday.

The bill needed to be approved by three fourths or 217 of the 290-strong chamber.

A resigned Belmonte said the bill has a slim chance of passing and that the efforts to pass the bill only served as a “gesture” and a “political statement.”

Belmonte’s resolution seeks to ease foreign restrictions in the Constitution by inserting the “unless otherwise provided for by law” phrase in the provision granting 60-percent ownership to Filipinos and 40-percent on foreign investments.

The inclusion of the phrase means amending the Constitution would only require a simple legislation that needs to be approved by both chambers of Congress and subjected to a plebiscite.

For his part, fellow Bayan Muna representative Carlos Zarate said their fight against Charter change is not yet over.

“This is just a temporary reprieve though and the fight against Cha-cha continues. We have to continue to educate the people of the rapacious effects of these proposed amendments on the protectionist economic provisions of the Constitution. In the end, we are just representatives of our people who are the decisive force to finally stop this Cha-cha,” Zarate said.

Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap also said the country’s nationalism must be “drummed up” instead of passing the resolution, which he claimed would result in foreign exploitation of the country’s lands, especially in light of a territorial spat with the foreign power China and foreign intervention by the US.

“The resolution is timely because of the issue of Chinese intrusion, nationalist sentiments must be drummed up for the advance of national sovereignty against foreign intervention, including of the US,” Hicap said.

Charter change has failed in the previous Congresses due to criticisms that it could be used to extend the term limits of public officials.

Colmenares earlier said Belmonte’s resolution essentially deleted the constitutional provisions for higher Filipino equity participation in educational institutions, vested Filipino control and administration of educational institutions, a higher percentage of Filipino ownership in Philippine businesses and corporations, Filipino executive and managing officers in public utilities and franchises, among others.

Had the bill been approved by Congress the approval, the amendments to the charter’s economic provisions would have been ratified in a plebiscite synchronized with the next 2016 elections. AC