‘RP may lose competitive edge over Vietnam, China if Cha-cha fails’

The Philippines may lose its foreign investment advantage to Vietnam and China if the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions are not amended, a pro-administration lawmaker warned yesterday.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino said more Filipinos could end up jobless "in the face of increasing foreign investment competition in countries like China and Vietnam."

"With the rapid decline of our educational system and the aggressive campaign of our neighbors to learn the English language as well, it is almost inevitable that we will lose all our advantages in the next two to three years," he said.

Antonino said opponents of moves to amend the Constitution, either through people’s initiative or constituent assembly, have not even "made any contribution to address poverty and the widening gap between the rich and the poor."

Partly to blame is the "constant political bickering" among government officials, he added.

Antonino cited the case of Hacienda Luisita, which the family of former President Corazon Aquino refuses to relinquish to its legitimate beneficiaries.

"The Cojuangcos do not want to let go of their huge estate," he said.

"The clan has cheated, lied and killed for decades just to retain it. What they want is to continue imposing control over the people and they don’t want them to get out of poverty."

"The scheme included an employee stock option that allowed them to escape land redistribution during Cory’s own term, and has only made their 5,000 farmhands in 12 Tarlac barangays poorer since.

"Ironically, they insist on projecting piety, while resisting this present effort to bring change to our country," he said.

Antonino added it is about time the government adopted a liberalized economic policy for the country to remain at par with other nations, and attract job-generating investments.

"Underemployment has been reported at 25 percent, or 10 million of the 40 million, because jobs are only seasonal as construction helpers or farmhands, tricycle drivers or garbage dump scavengers," he said.

Antonino said unemployment is the result of lack of investments.

"This situation is expected to worsen, with China and Vietnam rapidly embracing economic liberalization unless restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution are revised and too much politicking is minimized with the creation of a unicameral-parliamentary and federalized system of government," he said.

Meanwhile, Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com) chairman Lito Monico Lorenzana said yesterday that the poor, who have waited long enough to be liberated from hopelessness and poverty, are always caught in the political crossfire.

"Grumbling stomachs and lack of jobs could compel people to act on their own," he said.

Aside from political discontent, economics is the primary reason 10 million Filipinos chose to support the people’s initiative, he added.

Lorenzana said, if Charter change succeeds, the country’s economic development could match other Southeast Asian nations with unicameral-parliamentary governments.

"I believe today is the best time to rethink the poverty problem," he said.

"Let’s start the discussions and debates on how a unicameral-parliamentary system can help the poor by way of generating more jobs and enticing businesses to invest in the Philippines," he said.

Lorenzana said the people’s initiative was also fueled by the "patent disregard" of religious and political leaders who fail to mitigate growing poverty in cities and rural areas.

"The poor are always being lectured about the dignity of work and not to rely on government dole-outs or welfare — but where is work?" he asked.

Jobs are lacking in the Philippines because big foreign companies find it more attractive to relocate to China, which has economic riders, Lorenzana said.

On the other hand, ad-com secretary general Rita Jimeno disagreed with Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. that there was no existing enabling law to allow a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution. — Delon Porcalla, Mike Frialde