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'Cha-cha plebiscite with barangay polls'
By Nidz Godino
"If both Senate and House approve resolution, and they also agree to con-ass, we will now bring issue directly to the people, in October barangay elections…it will now be people who will decide yes or no…we need to move fast…if economic amendments are approved in October, they can take effect immediately and Congress can pass new measures to open our economy to investments," Sen. Robinhood Padilla said if Senate and House of Representatives approve resolution seeking to amend economic provisions of 36-year-old Constitution via constituent assembly in coming weeks, nationwide plebiscite to ratify the same may be held this October to coincide with barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. Padilla, chairs Senate committee on constitutional amendments, said there are two hurdles that must be overcome for charter reforms to succeed: senators approving resolution, and for House to agree to amend outdated Constitution through constituent assembly.
He stressed if country is not facing economic difficulties, he would have preferred con-con, referring to constitutional convention.
"But now that we are surviving on borrowings, we must prioritize economic provisions," Padilla stressed.
A constituent assembly is composed of members of Senate and House of Representatives convened as one charter-amending body. Proposed resolutions in Senate and House have two chambers voting separately if body is convened.
House committee on constitutional amendments, chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, approved Charter change resolution convening con-con as proposed mode to amend Constitution to include its political provisions.
Members or "delegates" to con-con are elected based on congressional districts.
But Padilla recently met Rodriguez and other House leaders to appeal to them to agree to constituent assembly mode to only change Constitution's economic provisions, and was willing to plead with them again if needed.
He explained House's preference for constitutional convention meant Charter change would take years while requiring at least P11 billion in funding.
"I have humbled myself and gone to Lower House and paid them my due respects… have discussed this with them... if need be, I will do it again," Padilla said, adding that need to address economic problems of the country and help it progress through structural reforms is urgent.
House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan suggested first check "cost-benefit" of House-approved charter amendments via con-con.
"If we really want to tweak economic provisions of 1987 Constitution to draw in more foreign investors, then we would need baseline comparison of cost and benefit… most sensible approach for us to ascertain whether benefits outweigh costs," leader of 28-member House minority bloc in the chamber said, calling on National Economic and Development Authority to make necessary analysis.
Libanan said NEDA should submit to Congress detailed report on projected benefits in terms of foreign direct investments that would come in per industry, number of new jobs that would be created, and incremental tax revenues that would be generated.
4Ps party-list congressman urged Department of Budget and Management to come up with reliable estimates with regard to "cost side" of hybrid con-con equation, as stipulated in Resolution of Both Houses 6.
The opposition leader said government's budget and economic planners should perform "cost-benefit analysis" of rewriting 1987 Constitution "for purpose of relaxing foreign investment restrictions."
At present, Constitution prohibits or restricts foreign ownership in various industries.
Foreigners, for instance, are barred from owning any equity in mass media, which is reserved only for Filipinos or entities that are 100 percent owned by Filipinos. Foreigners are also prevented from participating in exploitation of the country's marine resources in archipelagic waters, territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. They are likewise excluded from small-scale utilization of natural resources in rivers, lakes, bays and lagoons.
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