Angara: Public should closely monitor Senate's hearing on economic Charter change
Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday, February 11 called on the public to closely follow the Senate’s ongoing hearings on Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 to gain a better understanding on the proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
According to Angara, “the upside of these hearings and this process is that it is very transparent.”
“The public can watch them in real time on the Senate's YouTube channel, or whenever they're free,” said Angara, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, which is tackling the measure.
“Maririnig nila ang mga opinyon at pananaw ng mga legal at economic experts (They can hear the opinions and views of our legal and economic experts), and these will help voters form their own views about the need to amend our Constitution),” the senator said.
The Senate sub-panel will hold its second hearing on the issue on Monday, February 12. Invited to the hearing are representatives from the business community.
Angara also said the hearings would provide early guidance to voters so they can be familiar with the pros and cons of amending the economic provisions of the Constitution.
“As they may have to vote on these changes that could have a direct impact on their lives,” said Angara, a lawyer who obtained his law degree from the University of the Philippines and his Master of Laws from Harvard University.
The senator also said the public can join the discussions on Charter change by sending their questions, concerns or comments to [email protected].
Aside from hearing the different perspectives from the experts, Angara said voters can also inform the Senate what they would like to know or air their concerns about the issues being raised by the resource persons during the hearing.
At the same time, the lawmaker reiterated his position that the plebiscite can be held together with the 2025 national and local elections
“If we have faith in the ability of our voters to discern who to vote for, then we should be confident in the capacity of our countrymen to determine whether changes in our Constitution will be advantageous for them,” he said.