Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay has reminded the public that the proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution are not supposed to be “a magic solution” to the problems confronting the Philippine economy.

In a radio interview on Saturday, February 10 Binay said it is not even guaranteed that the proposed economic amendments would genuinely lead to lower prices of basic commodities.

The senator noted that various surveys have shown that the number one concern of Filipinos today is the steep prices of basic goods and commodities.

That is why, she said, it is important to manage the expectation of the people on Charter change and they should be made aware that amending the economic provisions is not the sole solution to fixing the economic problems plaguing the country.

“Hindi ito magic solution na kapag napasa, mawawala na lahat ng problema natin o kaya na ang ekonomiya ng ating bansa. And I think baka kailangan namin din, isa yan sa kailangang ibahagi din sa mga kababayan na kumbaga hindi lang ito ang solusyon (This is not a magic solution that once passed, the country’s economic problems will be obliterated. And I think we also need to tell our people that this is not the only solution),” Binay said in an interview on Radio DWIZ.

The lawmaker also said she is concerned the ongoing discourse on Charter amendments may give false hopes to the people who might expect immediate positive changes to the economy after voting through plebiscite. 

“Baka din false hope sa ating mga kababayan na kumbaga kapag binoto nila ito sa plebisito, after one month okay na, bababa na ang presyo ng bigas, or bababa na ang presyo ng krudo, or maaayos na ang problema natin sa kuryente (It might give false hopes to our people who might think that after voting in the plebiscite, the price of rice, fuel will be lowered after a month or that our problems on electricity would have solutions),” she warned.

“Pero hindi ganun ang mangyayari (But that is not going to happen),” she said.

Binay said it is important to consider the various factors and comprehensive solutions to address the country’s economic issues. 

She said the public, as well as lawmakers, should listen to all perspectives before making any decisions regarding the proposed constitutional amendments.

“As of the moment, para sa akin kasi, pakinggan muna natin lahat bago ako magde-desisyon (for me, let’s listen first before we come up with a decision),” she said.

“But so far, base sa unang hearing, parang mas marami kaming naging resource persons na mas mabigat ang hindi muna napapanahon ang pagpalit ng ating Konstitusyon (But based on our first hearing, it seems most of our resource persons agree this is not the time to introduce amendments to our Constitution),” Binay remarked.