#Atty. Gregorio Larrazabal
Making the good even better
I was fortunate to be invited by Comelec Chairman George Garcia to the 2023 National Election Summit held just last week. It was a three-day event attended by officials of the Commission on Elections, various government agencies and stakeholders from the private sector. The summit was a culmination of over 50 meetings, conferences and FGDs conducted from November of 2022 until February 2023. Spearheaded by fellow techie, Commissioner Nelson Celis, it was a good opportunity for the stakeholders from both the public and private sector to share ideas, insights and feedback, with the goal of improving the conduct of the elections in the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte both attended, and spoke during the summit, expressing their support for the programs of the Commission on Elections.
Never too early
Voter education is something I and many others believe to be very important in strengthening our democratic institutions. The goal of integrating it in the educational system has been an elusive dream that has, to this date, not yet been fully achieved. Until now.
Amending the Philippine Constitution to increase FDIs?
Some proponents of the charter amendments claim that, the removal of foreign ownership restrictions for certain industries under the Constitution would likely encourage and increase more Foreign Direct Investment inflows. They added that this would significantly help in our COVID-19 expenses and revive our present economy as exacerbated by this pandemic. Even though the proponents were not categorical about which particular industries with Filipino ownership limitation are sought to be amended, we assume that they mainly pertain to public utilities and mass media, among others.