Biz group: tackle Cha-cha after 2013 polls

MANILA, Philippines – The influential Makati Business Club (MBC) said amendments to the Constitution are best pursued “right after the 2013 elections” because there are other pending legislation that are more urgent.  

“The right time for amendments of the Constitution’s economic provisions would be right after the 2013 elections,” the business group said in a statement on Thursday, August 2.  

“MBC considers the amendment of the Constitution’s economic provisions as critical to sustain the increase in investments and employment in the country. However, we believe that the Senate and the House of Representatives have matters of greater urgency that they need to address with higher priority between now and the 2013 elections,” it stressed.

These are the pending bills that the group said should be prioritized:  

1. 2013 General Appropriations Act (pending in the House Committee)
2. bill restructuring the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco products (“sin” taxes) (House Bill 5727 – approved on third reading) / (pending in the Senate Committee)
3. amendments to the Mining Act of 2005 to conform to the Executive Order on mining (pending in the respective House and Senate Committees)
4. Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development Act (House Bill 4244 – pending second reading) / Reproductive Health Act (Senate Bill 2865 – pending second reading)
5. Freedom of Information bill (pending in the House Committee) / People’s Ownership of Government Information (POGI) Act (Senate Bill 3208 – pending second reading)
6. further strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Law (House Bill 4275 – approved on third reading) / (Senate Bill 3123 – pending second reading)
7. Philippine Fair Competition Act (House Bill 4835 – pending second reading) / Competition Act (Senate Bill 3098 – pending second reading)
8. Investments and Incentives Code (House Bill 4935 – approved on third reading) / (pending in the Senate Committee)
9. bill Strenghtening the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program (House Bill 5714 – approved on third reading) / Whistleblower Protection Act (Senate Bill 2860 – pending second reading)

President Aquino has asked his economic and legal teams to study the proposed Charter changes, which were pushed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte in a July 30 meeting in Malacanang.

The key proposal of the lawmakers is about the 40% limit set by the Constitution on foreign ownership in companies.

“We would welcome a constitutional amendment that would enable Congress to enact legislation that would eliminate or alter the nationality provisions in the Constitution,” wrote the MBC.

“Ideas have been forwarded that this can be accomplished through a “surgical amendment” through the insertion of a phrase like “unless modified or removed by Congress” to the nationality provisions, through a method similar to the passage of ordinary legislation but requiring each house of Congress to pass these with a 3/4 vote of approval, followed by a plebiscite,” it added. – Rappler.com