THE bill seeking to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution will likely get more support from senators than the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law, Senator Sergio Osmeña III said after the House of Representatives passed its version of the measure on Wednesday.
But even if the House passed Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 on second reading, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. the bill will still have to pass its acid test when it goes to the plenary on Wednesday for third reading.
“The biggest hurdle is still to come, three-fourths vote [on final reading] of everybody including those who are absent,” Belmonte said of the crucial vote which, if passed, will be the first time Congress will amend the Constitution by legislation.
Belmonte is the principal author of the economic Charter Change resolution and is visibly nervous about getting the 217 of 290 votes that is needed to pass the measure and send it to the Senate for approval.
Belmonte’s RBH No. 1 seeks to include the phrase “unless provided by law” to overturn the constitutional limitations on foreign-ownership of land, public utilities, natural resources, media and advertising industries.
Under Article XII of the Constitution, foreign investors are prohibited fro owning more than 40 percent of real properties and businesses, while they are totally restricted to exploit natural resources and own any company in the media industry.
But Osmeña believes the economic Chacha resolution is more acceptable to senators than the BBL.
“If you are only talking about the economic provisions, it has a good chance of passing,” said Osmena. “We are going on a break on June 11 and I am hopeful that we would be able to pass it.”
Osmeña said he supported the removal of the constitutional prohibition on foreign ownership and the public should be more circumspect over economic protectionism because the world is quickly “coming together.”
“We removed that already, and it has not harmed our economy. It’s helping our economy to have more investments here,” said Osmena in an interview over ANC’s Headstart late Thursday afternoon.
“I would allow them to own and there’d be a debate in Congress when we consider such changes, they’ll probably say okay can we limit it to 40 percent for media for example. My debate, my answer to that would be, excuse me, got cable TV, 99 percent of your channels are foreign…we’re watching CNN, BBC,” Osmena said.
If the resolution is approved by both houses of Congress, it will be submitted to the Commission on Elections for the plebiscite process.
Belmonte said he hopes the plebiscite for Charter change can be conducted during the 2016 national elections.
“We might have difficult time to get these several billions necessary for the plebiscite. The plebiscite is the crucial thing for economic Chacha,” Belmonte said.
But militant lawmakers voiced apprehension over the imminent passage of RBH No. 1.
Anakpawis party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap said the passage on second reading of Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 would only lead to more land grabbing, and use conversion, depression of wages, contractualization, demolition of urban poor communities, price hikes and other anti-people activities.
“We had a taste of economic liberalization and it only brought worse poverty to the broad people,” Hicap, a member of the Makabayan Bloc, said.
Hicap said the entry of foreign investors in the countryside was always preceded by land grabbing and dislocation of poor farmers.
A case in point cited by Hicap is that of the 8,650-hectare Hacienda Looc in Batangas, the 7,100-hectare Hacienda Yulo in Laguna, the 2,000-hectare Hacienda Dolores in Pampanga, as well as the 36,000-hectare Clark Green City project in Tarlac.
Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon was also concerned and said such a move could lead to “political maneuverings” to allow a term extension for President Aquino III.
“It is still quite possible to sneak in political amendments at some point, especially since the prospective candidates of the President for the 2016 elections appear weak, and so it’s not so inconceivable that President Aquino might decide to hit the term extension button,” Ridon said.
“The Charter-change resolution should be closely watched because there might still be political maneuverings up until the last day of the President,” Ridon added.
He also dismissed as “treacherous act” the move of the House leadership to adopt the Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 last Wednesday without many House members noticing it.
“Clearly, there was no quorum [last Wednesday’s session], but the resolution was passed,” he said.
But Majority Floor Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said there was nothing “illegal” about the approval on second reading of the RBH 1 as there was a quorum last Wednesday.
Gonzales also said that there is no way that the political provisions of the Constitution would be included and tackled in the resolution principally authored by Belmonte.
“There is no way for the insertion of political provision whatsoever in the economic Cha-Cha,” Gonzales said in an interview.
