A constitutional crisis that could derail the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is looming, with the Senate and the House of Representatives taking polar positions on the ongoing People’s Initiative to revise the Philippine Constitution.
Senators on Tuesday issued a manifesto calling on the Commission on Elections to junk the pending People’s Initiative, which the solons claim in their manifesto is intent on emasculating the Senate and removing it “from of the equation” in future changes to the basic law of the land.
“It is ridiculous that the Senate, a co-equal chamber of the House, which needs to pass even local bills, will have a dispensable and diluted role in Charter Change—the most monumental act of policymaking concerning the highest law of the land,” said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, reading from the manifesto which was later distributed to journalists.
Just days earlier, Zubiri met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and House leaders in Malacanang to head off the People’s Initiative by proposing that the Senate take the lead in the revision of the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. Consequently, a joint Senate and House resolution was filed to review and propose changes in the economic provisions of the Charter, particularly on public services, education and advertising,
It is still unclear, how this latest action of the Senate will affect efforts to revise the constitution.
Even so, several congressmen have taken exception to the latest move of the senators, including House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“The House of Representatives stands committed to providing a transparent and accountable framework to support the People’s Initiative, ensuring that it remains a true representation of the people’s collective will. We are here to support and respect the outcomes of this process, affirming the People’s Initiative as the purest form of democracy,” Speaker Romualdez said.
The House Speaker said that while he supports the direct expression of the people’s will, he cannot condone bribery or unethical practices to push such initiative as it “would violate the spirit of an honest and voluntary participation and erode our democratic foundations.”
Speaker Romualdez said the constitutional changes the House seeks would remove hurdles that had impeded the entry of more foreign direct investments and, consequently, economic growth and job creation. “We envision an economy open to the investments needed to generate business, jobs and livelihood for Filipinos,” he added.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, said the People’s Initiative is a valid exercise of amending the charter and neither the Senate nor the House can or should deny it.
“Ultimately, over and above the House and the Senate, the people are the supreme and sovereign,” he said.
Salceda said the concern raised by senators in their manifesto about foreign ownership of Philippine lands raise the question of who the solons want to protect.
“When we ‘protect’ our restrictive land policies, do we really intend to protect a failure? Are we protecting our farms, or starving it of capital?’ asked Salceda, who noted that the Philippines has the lowest mechanization rate in Southeast Asia at 1.2 horsepower per hectare compared to a regional average of 1.6 horsepower.
He also noted that over 42 percent of agricultural households are poor compared to 11 percent for non-agricultural households—a level of poverty for non-agricultural households that is already at par with those of rich countries like Germany and Canada.
“Frankly, to address the heart of the matter, so what if a foreigner buys land? As long as he buys it at a fair prices and investors to make it productive,” said Salceda. “We Filipinos are already among the largest landowners in Australia and that country does not complain,” he pointed out.
House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe didn’t hide his disappointment over the Senate’s latest statement about many senators no longer interested in pursuing the joint resolution seeking to revisit the 1987 Constitution.
He said it is “regrettable”, if Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva’s assertion that many senator are no long interested in amending the charter, that President Marcos Jr. was “fed with false information, having been led to believe that the Senate had already pledge its support for constitutional economic reforms, as earlier announced by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.”
“It is crucial that we set aside our differences and unite in our efforts to bring about meaningful constitutional reforms reforms that will positively impact our nation,” Rep. Dalipe said.
