Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and his allies have convinced leaders of political blocs in the House of Representatives to back moves to relax the constitutional restrictions on foreign investors.

During a hybrid caucus on Tuesday, January 12, party leaders generally agreed to support Velasco’s fresh bid for charter change as long as only the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution would be touched.

“There is a strong and united consensus among political leaders in the House to back Speaker Velasco’s initiative towards liberalizing the economic provisions in the Constitution,” said Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera in a statement released minutes after the caucus ended. 

Senior Deputy Speaker Salvador “Doy” Leachon, Velasco’s party mate in the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), also gave assurances the House would not touch political provisions in the charter.

“I assure you guys it will benefit the country. No political provisions,” Leachon said in a brief text message to Rappler.

The legislators insist they would not touch the political provisions even if President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly wants Cha-Cha revived to amend the party-list system as part of his offensive against leftist lawmakers who are critical of him. 

Several party-list lawmakers in the House leadership, however, already said they can reform the party-list system without resorting to Cha-Cha.

Velasco had called for Tuesday’s meeting on the eve of the resumption of the House committee on constitutional amendments’ Cha-Cha hearings on Wednesday, January 13. 

In attendance – both physically and virtually via Zoom – were lawmakers representing PDP-Laban, Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Liberal Party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, and the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. 

Except for the once ruling LP, all the political party leaders who attended the meeting later signed a manifesto on Wednesday, January 13, formalizing their support for the Cha-Cha proceedings in the House. The copy of the manifesto was given to reporters on Thursday, January 14.

The party leaders said there is a “united consensus” to tackle only the economic provisions in the charter, which they believe would help ensure that the proposed amendments would be passed on time. The House eyes the conduct of the plebiscite for their proposed amendments to coincide with the next presidential elections in May 2022.

“To ensure that the purposes for which the initiative to amend the Constitution will be timely accomplished, there is a united consensus that the House of Representatives will deliberate only the economic provisions as specified in RBH (Resolution of Both Houses) No. 2,” read the manifesto. 

The party leaders also committed to ensure that when both the House and the Senate vote on the proposed amendments as a Constituent Assembly, the chambers would vote separately.

Under RBH No. 2 penned by Velasco, the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” would be added to the constitutional restrictions that limit the participation of foreign investors in the governing body of entities based on their proportionate share in the capital. 

The same phrase would be added to provisions saying only Filipino citizens can control, own, and/or lease alienable lands, public utilities, educational institutions, mass media companies, and advertising companies in the Philippines. 

The addition of the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” means Congress would be given the power to pass laws easing foreign investment restrictions in the country.

Velasco had argued opening up the economy to foreign investors would help offset the crippling effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

But political analysts are wary of legislators’ true intentions in pursuing Cha-Cha this close to the 2022 presidential elections. 

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House just complying?

In a Viber message to Rappler, Herrera said the bloc leaders were generally “very supportive” of amending the economic provisions of the Constitution.

But a House insider also told Rappler that legislators know that Velasco’s renewed push for Cha-Cha still does not have strong support from senators. 

Several senators, in fact, have already questioned the timing of the proceedings since the country is still grappling with the COVID-19 crisis.

The source said the Velasco-led House is supposedly just “complying” with the wishes of Duterte to revive Cha-Cha.

Amending the Constitution would not fly without backing from the Senate, since RBH 2 is calling for both houses of Congress to convene into a Constituent Assembly to formally propose the amendments to the economic provisions. 

“They’re just complying with Duterte because they can’t do anything to oppose him since he’s still very popular. He still has high ratings. But if the Senate will not do anything, they cannot do Cha-Cha,” the source said.

In the Philippines, the House traditionally follows the wishes of the sitting president. – Rappler.com