With Senate not interested, economic Cha-cha doomed

MANILA, Philippines — Efforts of the House of Representatives to amend prohibitive economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution may have reached an end with the Senate’s refusal to act on it, an administration lawmaker said yesterday.

“Resolution of Both Houses 2 is practically dead in the water. Passing RBH 2 is an exercise in futility as it appears dead in the water in the Senate,” Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte predicted.

The House leadership is bent on approving this week the measure on third and final reading before Congress goes on recess on June 4. Senators and congressmen have their break before sessions resume on July 26 when Duterte delivers his sixth and last State of thee Nation Address.

“Going through the motion of passing RBH 2 on third, final reading will just be an exercise in futility, especially when the House leadership could better spend the precious hours on more urgent measures such as on COVID-19 response and economic recovery,” he said.

Senators led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III hinted they are not inclined to support the measure authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, not only because of lack of material time but also because they still have their hands full on other priority measures.

Nevertheless, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez  said they will work double time this week.

“We resume session with a full plate of priority bills scheduled for plenary deliberation before we adjourn sine die this week,” Leyte Rep. Romualdez, chairman of the House committee on rules, said.

“Speaker Velasco wants to place in the front burner the passage of the proposed Bayanihan to Arise as One Act or the Bayanihan 3 and the economic Charter change under Resolution of Both Houses 2 on third and final reading,” he said.

On top of bills of national significance, he said “the House is also scheduled to approve on third reading local bills such as increasing bed capacities in hospitals, conversion of medical centers into tertiary hospitals, creating district engineering offices, among others.”

Last week, allies of President Duterte in the House approved on second reading RBH 2 that will finally introduce amendments to the very restrictive economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution, which has stalled the country’s development for decades.

Under House Rules, the measure approved on second reading can be approved on third reading only after three days unless President Duterte certifies it as urgent.

The resolution needs three-fourths vote of the 300 members of the House – or 225 representatives – to be approved on third reading.

Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said it is about time the 34-year-old charter is amended, especially in light of the fact that Philippines has been a laggard among its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

According to him, RBH 2’s objectives, among others, is to bring about improvement in the quality of life of Filipinos by encouraging more investments that will create more jobs.

Garbin said this is “to maximize our economic momentum in order to fully transform our economic growth into inclusive and solidary progress by removing the restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution which hamper the flow of foreign capital investments.”