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Friday, March 29, 2024

Charter change economic bill wins backing

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AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin on Sunday said he would sponsor before today’s plenary session the economic amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

“This is our chance to accelerate the country’s economic recovery from the devastating effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” he said.

He said he is hoping that the Senate would give economic constitutional amendments a chance and allow the people to decide through a referendum if they would support the constitutional changes or not.

He rallied support for Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, which is up for plenary debates this week.

Voting 64-3 with 3 abstentions, Garbin’s committee on constitutional amendments adopted RBH 2 authored by Velasco that seeks to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the 34-year-old Charter by inserting the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to specific provisions of the Constitution — five amendments to Article XII (National Patrimony and Economy), one amendment to Article XIV (Education, Science and Technology) and one amendment to Article XVI (General Provisions).

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The measure prescribes a constituent assembly to propose amendments to the Constitution, requiring a vote of three-fourths of all the members of Congress, each house voting separately.

On the other hand, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte maintained that the House leadership must call off altogether its twice-postponed plan to open plenary deliberations on the latest Charter change initiative to allow legislators focus their time and attention on helping Malacañang ensure the speedy and successful rollout of its COVID-19 vaccination program. Rio Araja

Garbin earlier said that Committee Report 735 that adopted RBH 2 would be discussed in the plenary starting this week.

“The time and energy to be wasted on the planned plenary debates on Cha-cha should be spent instead by House members on helping the government carry out a nationwide public information drive to persuade adults to take part in the upcoming mass vaccination program,” Villafuerte said.

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