MANILA: Floor debates over proposals to change economic provisions of the Constitution kicked off at the House of Representatives yesterday, with one of the proponents stressing that the effort is more about making future economic legislation responsive to Filipinos’ needs than giving foreigners the right to own land.
Davao City Rep Mylene Garcia-Albano, who chairs the committee on constitutional amendment, made this clear in response to interpellation of Resolution of Both Houses No 1 (RBH 1) by Akbayan party-list Rep Walden Bello. The plenary debates ended at past 7pm.
Albano said any proposed amendment to economic provisions of the Constitution would not be automatically written and adopted even if the resolution being discussed in the House is approved and ratified by the people. Albano was the first to defend RBH 1 yesterday.
RBH 1, principally authored by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr, seeks to include the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in some sections of Articles XII (national economy and patrimony), XIV (education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports) and XVI (general provisions). This means the constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership will remain until Congress enacts specific laws to remove them.
In his interpellation, Bello pointed out that China, Indonesia and Vietnam have the same constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of land but these did not hinder the massive flow of foreign investments to their economies.
Albano, however, pointed out that RBH 1 does not contemplate on directly writing amendments to the Constitution but only seeks to allow the country to adjust or adapt to future economic realities and contingencies.
She said the parliaments of China, Indonesia and Vietnam have passed numerous laws that tend to ease economic restrictions in their respective constitutions.
Albano said land ownership is not the only concern addressed by RBH 1, but also other sectors and aspects of the economy.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
