The Philippines: No political revisions in Cha-cha, Velasco vows

• The House of Representatives under the leadership of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on 11 Jan 21 allayed the fears of senators and the public that tweaking certain provisions in the 1987 Constitution might include political revisions.
• “We are not proposing to open the basic law of the land to revisions. We want to limit ourselves to provisions relating to the economy and national patrimony. We will not touch the political sections of the Charter,” Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. said.
• As the House committee on constitutional amendments chairman, he reiterated that the Speaker “has given the commitment that the House would confine itself to economic Charter change (Cha-cha).”
• “The Speaker’s assurance will serve as our word of honor. In compliance with the Speaker’s instruction, my committee will not entertain any political amendment proposal,” he said.
• A legislator said over the weekend (9-10 Jan 21) that large business groups support the bill, but some of those groups do not want amendments introduced now.
• Garbin called on the Senate to keep an open mind, even as he refuted claims the Charter change might result in “wholesale amendments that could lead to extending the term of office of incumbent elective officials and lifting of term limits.”
• He added that the slight change in the Charter’s language “will improve the investment climate and generate much needed investments and jobs to counteract the economic contraction caused by the pandemic.”
• For Deputy Minority Leader Stella Quimbo, lifting the prohibitive economic provisions in the 33-year-old Constitution is not a problem at all because this will help the country alleviate the impact of recession brought about by the global pandemic.
• Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, also assured the public that they “will not touch the political provisions in its revived efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution.”

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/01/12/2069792/no-political-revisions-cha-cha-velasco-vows

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/01/11/2069729/philippines-inc-supports-cha-cha-not-now