THE House committee on constitutional amendments will continue holding public hearings and consultations on Charter or constitutional change (Cha-cha) proposals, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, committee chairman, said today.
“We respect the opinion of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on constitutional amendment measures. We will of course consider it. But as an independent branch of government, the House of Representatives and Congress will proceed with its public dialogues on this issue,” he said.
Rodriguez was referring to the President’s statement that the country could attract foreign investments even with the present 1987 Constitution.
He reacted to the President’s remarks as his panel was conducting hearings in Iloilo City. “We laud and commend President Marcos Jr. for trying to entice foreign businessmen in his trips abroad to invest their money in the country.
He is our best salesman. But certain restrictive provisions of the Charter could be impeding investments,” he said.
“In our hearings at the House of Representatives last week and in Cagayan de Oro City last Friday, the overwhelming recommendation was to rewrite the Constitution’s economic provisions to allow for more foreign investments,” Rodriguez said.
He said participants also suggested the calling of an elected constitutional convention to propose Charter changes.
“The emerging consensus is to relax restrictions on the entry of foreign capital into the country,” he said. He added that his committee will hold more consultations in other parts of Luzon.
Speaker Martin Romualdez has said if the House decides to initiate the process of proposing amendments to the Constitution, its goal would be to encourage investments that would generate more economic activities, job opportunities and income for our people.
He said the tweaking of the Charter’s economic provisions could be the “last piece in the puzzle” of attracting more foreign investments.
