Amending a 34-year-old constitution is not an ordinary legislative act, and needs more time, and longer deliberations, former House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez said Saturday, Jan. 18, urging his colleagues to leave to the next administration efforts to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
The Davao del Norte 1st District representative said the insertion of the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to several sections of the Constitution which restrict foreign ownership of land, natural resources, public utilities, media, and advertising as contained in Speaker Lord Allan Velasco’s Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, is “very dangerous.”
"Antagal nang pinag-uusapan tapos ngayon na patapos at saka bubuhayin. Puwede yan eh next administration na lang 'yan at gawing mas maagaa para mas mahaba ang talakayan (It has long been discussed, and now that we are about to end, it is revived. It can be done in the next administration and it should be done earlier so we can have longer discussions),” he said in a telephone interview.
He explained that the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” looks like a “very simple amendment,” but is "very dangerous."
“‘Yun ang pinakadangerous na phrase, "unless otherwise provided by law,” ibig sabhin nyan na pag inaprubahan na, bahala na ang Congress kung anong batas yung gagawin nila. Kasi binigyan mo ng authority ang Congress to enact a law amending the Charter kung anuman ang provision na yun” (That is a very dangerous phrase —“unless otherwise provided by law”—meaning when it is approved, it is up to Congress which law should be enacted because you are giving authority to Congress to enact a law amending the whatever provisions in the Charter),” Alvarez said.
He said the House leadership should not give false hopes to the people, recalling that in the 17th Congress, several hearings were conducted on federalism, but such proposal did not see the light during that Congress.
First of all, there is no time. Remember this is not an ordinary bill, we are amending the Constitution, that’s the Constitution of the Philippines so it is not something that we should do with haste. Longer discussions and debates are needed and you should let the people know about it because those are amendments to the Constitution. It is the people who have the final say on that and they should understand it fully. What will be amended? That should not be railroaded, he said in Filipino.
Considering that October this year is the last day of the filing of certificates of candidacy, I think there is no time to do that,” he said in Filipino.
Alvarez questioned the motive of the House leadership when it resumed deliberations on economic Charter change last Wednesday.
"Ang tanong ko eh lahat ng economies sa mundo ay bagsak, sinong foreigner ang magiinvest except China, di ba China lang ang may magandang ekonomiya, so para kanino yan? (My question is — all economies in the world are down. Which foreign nation will invest, except China? China has a good economy. So who will benefit from this),” he asked.