The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a resolution calling for a constitutional convention (con-con) that would propose amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Charter to create more jobs and generate income to support the pro-poor programs of the government.
About 301 congressmen voted “yes” to the measure, against six “no” votes and one abstention.
According to Speaker Martin Romualdez, a principal author of the Resolution of Both Houses 6, lawmakers aim to limit the Charter rewriting initiative to the “restrictive” economic provisions of the basic law “in the hope that the changes would pave the way for the country to attract more foreign investments.”
“We need additional investments that would create more job and income opportunities for our people. We need increased capital to sustain our economic growth momentum,” he said.
The Speaker said reforms by way of tweaking the Constitution’s economic provisions could be the “final piece in the puzzle” of improving the country’s economic and investment environment.
The committee on constitutional amendments endorsed RBH No. 6 after conducting extensive public hearings and consultations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Through the resolution, the House and the Senate resolve to call a con-con “for the purpose of proposing amendments to the economic provisions, or revision of, the 1987 Constitution.”
The resolution noted that among the three modes of proposing amendments to the Charter, the calling of a convention “would be the most transparent, exhaustive, democratic, and least divisive means of implementing constitutional reforms.”
“Extensive studies show that particular economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution need to be revisited and recrafted so that the Philippines may become globally competitive and attuned with the changing times,” the resolution stated.
It further said that such reform has been identified by reputable business and economic groups as a key policy instrument that needs to be implemented, and that these organizations feel that the economic reform by way of constitutional amendments “is now long overdue.”
It likewise cited a petition, filed by Kapatiran Party, for an indirect initiative under Republic Act (RA) No. 6735, otherwise known as the Initiative and Referendum Act, urging the House of Representatives to pass a bill calling for a con-con.
The envisioned con-con would be a hybrid assembly with elected and appointed members, with the election and appointment of delegates to be held simultaneously with the October 30, 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls.
The details of the election and appointment of con-con delegates would be contained in an implementing bill to be passed by Congress.
Meanwhile, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte voiced his opposition to the Charter change initiative.
He was one of the six legislators who voted no to RBH 6.
“This is to express our irresolution with the immediate approval of RBH No. 6. To reiterate, we are not in opposition against the said measure per se, but we suppose that it is not timely. Our country is facing more pressing social and economic issues, like inflation and poverty among others, that we need to prioritize,” Duterte said.
“Billions to be allocated for a Constitutional Convention could be allocated instead to other programs intended to improve the living conditions of thousands of Filipino families,” he added.
Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had advocated for federalism to effect constitutional reforms.