Senator Sonny Angara (Photo courtesy of Senate PRIB)
MANILA – The scheduled Senate hearing on the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 on Monday will exclusively discuss the three proposed amendments to the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
This was the assurance made on Thursday by Senator Sonny Angara who will lead the subcommittee that will discuss the measure under the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes.
"No discussion of political amendments," Angara said in a Viber message to reporters.
He said the focus of discussion will only be limited to the contents of RBH 6 which he filed, together with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda.
Angara also assured that various sectors will be well represented with Constitutional experts as resource persons.
"We will invite a wide sector of society and the political spectrum to ensure healthy discussion and debate," he said.
RBH 6 contains the proposal to amend Section 11 of Article XII or the National Patrimony and Economy; Paragraph 2, Section 4 of Article XIV or the Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports; and Paragraph 2, Section 11 of Article XVI or the General Provisions.
In an earlier statement, Zubiri said this will "constitutionalize" the Public Services Act which is currently being heard before the Supreme Court and will also ease the regulations to allow more foreign investments in the country.
RBH 6 to elevate the level of discussion
Meanwhile, two House leaders said they expect the developments in the Senate on RBH 6 to elevate the level of discussion on the issue of amending the economic provisions of the Constitution.
This was expressed by House Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose "Mannix" M. Dalipe, and Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) House bloc leader and Rizal 1st District Rep. Jack Duavit in separate statements Thursday as they welcomed the start of hearings on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 in the Senate next week.
"So, we welcome, we would like to thank our counterpart in the Senate for finally sitting down -- as what we have been requesting -- let’s bring it out to a higher level of discussion, particularly the meat of the matter, the economic amendments to be made to help this country,” Dalipe said.
He added that the House will “patiently wait for the senators to pass the measure.”
House leaders have earlier underscored the importance of having the restrictive economic provisions lifted so that the country’s economic potential could be unleashed.
For his part, Duavit said the beginning of the official deliberations on RHB 6 is the start of something good.
"Again, we respect them. A lot of them were our colleagues and I think this is a start of things simmering down and getting back to work, so we welcome it very much," he stressed.
He said the House has already made a stand on RHB 6, and it’s now up to the Senate to make their own stand on the measure.
The House leadership had earlier committed to adopt RBH No. 6 once the Senate approves it. (with a report from Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA)
