A CONGRESS leader has expressed optimism that the proposed economic Charter change will have a better chance under the leadership of Senate President Francis Escudero.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte was confident the President’s commitment to improving tertiary education would be the cue for senators to pass the pending measure in the Senate on constitutional reform.
This seeks to lift foreign ownership restrictions on, among others, Philippine education to allow the entry of premier international higher education institutions (HEIs).
Villafuerte said he is positive on the prospects for constitutional reform to happen this year, as both Escudero and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez have separately bared plans to meet up this week to strive for a better working relationship between the Senate and House on priority issues, including Charter change.
“I prefer to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty in light of the commitment of both Speaker Martin and Senate President Chiz (Escudero) to work on mending what needs mending as far as inter-chamber working relationship was concerned,” he said.
Villafuerte is one of the lead proponents of the House-passed Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 7 on lifting the 40-percent cap on foreign ownership of certain Philippine businesses.
He noted that Escudero, for instance, was reported as saying that discussions on RBH 6, which is the Senate’s version of the House-approved RBH 7, would be withdrawn from the subcommittee chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara.
This would also be returned to the mother Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes headed by Sen. Robin Padilla, who is a staunch advocate of Charter change.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline House leader optimistic economic Charter change has fighting chance under Escudero