THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) yesterday said amending the Constitution through a constitutional assembly (con-ass) mode will be cheaper for the government instead of convening a constitutional convention (con-con).
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City, Krystal Lyn Tan Uy of the NEDA legislative affairs told senators that the budgetary requirement for a con-ass with a stand-alone referendum will require a P13.8 billion budget.
If the proposed amendments are completed immediately and submitted to the people through a plebiscite done simultaneously with the October 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), Uy said only P30 million is needed.
On the other hand, Uy said the con-con mode will be more expensive.
The NEDA official said that for the hybrid con-con, as proposed by the House of Representatives, the election of delegates and their salaries or allowances would need a P28 billion budget if the delegates are elected in a separate national election.
On the other hand, a hybrid con-con will require P331 million if the delegates are elected simultaneously with the BSKE this October.
In summary, Uy said “it will be significantly lower” if the 1987 Constitution is amended through the con-ass mode.
But Uy said the NEDA is still refining its computations and bring down the P28 billion projected cost for a con-con to around P14 billion. She did not elaborate on how this can be done.
Sen. Robin Padilla, committee chairperson, said he held the hearing in Davao City to get the people’s pulse on his proposal to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the Charter.
Padilla is pushing for the convening of a con-ass, while the House of Representatives is proposing the hybrid con-con to introduce revisions to the Constitution.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Padilla reiterated now is the time to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution to allow the entry of more Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to the country.
“Our country is blessed with natural resources and skilled workers that can contribute greatly to our progress. But we need huge investments to harness these assets properly and we cannot do this because of the limitations of our Constitution,” he said in Filipino.
He said that relaxing the economic provisions is the only solution that he sees to attract foreign direct investments, adding the country has been languishing in terms of FDIs based on figures from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which showed that foreign investments in the country Philippines dropped by 25 percent from 2018 to 2020.
Padilla said that as the country recovers from the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it needs new “drivers of growth,” including opening the economy to FDIs.
“There is basis for seeking such amendments. This is not grandstanding. This is addressing a real need of our country by amending our Constitution’s economic provisions,” he stressed.
While the hearing was ongoing, groups staged a protest action outside the Royal Mandaya Hotel to air their opposition to Charter change.
Padilla said he “respects the views and rights” of those who are protesting “against this constitutional process” as he allayed fears that the entry of FDIs will enslave Filipinos in their own country.
“When we say we will allow foreign investments, it does not mean we will allow ourselves to be enslaved. That will not happen. I and my fellow lawmakers will not allow it… What we want is the entry of foreign investments to benefit our economy,” he said.
