(MANILA BULLETIN)

Filipinos appear to be least concerned with the issue of Charter change (Cha-cha), but Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda says it is actually key to solving their top concerns of food security and poverty.

Salceda was referring to the results of the latest OCTA survey, which showed that "changing the Constitution" was ranked third lowest in importance among 20 "urgent national concerns". It garnered just one percent in terms of score.

"The most recent OCTA survey demonstrates that a combined 56 percent of the population has food-related issues as their top priority. Jobs, wages, and poverty account for a combined 23 percent of households which have them as top priorities," noted Salceda.

"All top five issues are kitchen table issues. This administration’s focus, then, must continue to be to provide for the wallet and the dining table of the Filipino family," said the House Committee on Ways and Means chairman.

"That said, [Cha-cha] is naturally not an everyday household concern – apart from signing onto the People’s Initiative, households have very little direct involvement in that process. But Charter Change, especially the House’s preferred amendments – are key to addressing the most urgent national concerns," Salceda said.

The Bicolano went on to explain how the language in the current Constitution has negatively impacted agricultural production.

"The key to boosting food production and reducing food prices in the Philippines is investment in agriculture. The flow of capital to the agriculture sector has been tightly strangled by restrictions in the Constitution and the resulting restrictions in our laws.

"These restrictions cover ownership, lease, transfer, and even foreign management – leaving foreign investors very little room for involvement in local agriculture," he says, adding that the agriculture sector is "so starved for capital".

Salceda claims that investors are extremely wary about investing in Philippine agriculture as there is "no guarantee of security for their heavy and long-gestating investments".

"The House has long believed it is time to govern our land restrictions through legislation that can change with the times, rather than through hard-coded Constitutional prohibitions," he said.

"In 1987, we had only 57.4 million mouths to feed. With a population of 117.4 million now, we have to feed 60 million more people. It’s time to open the pipes of foreign investment to our capital-dry agriculture sector," the ways and means panel chairman further said.

Salceda said the House-preferred provision on allowing the law to govern constitutional restrictions on foreign land ownership or use would unlock as much as 7.11 percent in nominal gross domestic product (GDP) growth – almost doubling agriculture’s contribution to the economy.