Belmonte pushes Charter’s economic amendments

THE House of Representatives will push to convene Congress as a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution, and even though the Palace has said Charter change is not a priority, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Thursday.

“I am for constituent assembly. It is very doable, but we want the amendments mainly on [the] economic provisions,” Belmonte told reporters.

He said more and more congressmen were favoring a constituent assembly over a constitutional convention with elected delegates because it would be faster and more economical.

He pointed to the US Constitution, which was being “amended all the time,” to show that piecemeal amendments were practical.

“The US Constitution is actually evolving and amended all the time through Congress,” Belmonte said.

“Amendments are being done subject matter by subject matter. If it can be done there, we can do it here.”

Belmonte said he would not stop the marathon hearings being held by the House committee on constitutional amendments led by Misamis Occidental Rep. Loreto Leo Ocampos.

He said the committee was planning to hold consulting sessions nationwide and to do its own survey on the need for Charter change.

The Ocampo panel on Tuesday said an information drive and a national consultation would be done in April so that when Congress resumed its sessions by May, the panel could come up with a report to decide on which mode Congress would take to amend the Constitution.

But Belmonte said the House would focus on Charter change only after it had passed 25 priority bills by March.

“Charter change requires time. We want to finish the priority bills and dispense with them. Then we can bring it up,” Belmonte said.

The 25 priority measures included the reproductive health bill and an amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Law that would allow prosecutors to examine the bank accounts of those accused of plunder without notifying them, Belmonte said.

The amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Law would keep those suspected of plunder from withdrawing their funds before formal charges were filed, as had happened with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, he said.

“Precisely, [this is] to avoid something like the case of Garcia, where he knew what was going on,” Belmonte said.

In testimony before the Senate, the former Ombudsman said the members of Garcia’s family were able to withdraw P50 million to P70 million simultaneously before their assets were frozen. Belmonte acknowledged that the amendment would face stiff opposition from parties who valued banking secrecy.

“know some people would find it dangerous and would seriously oppose it, but we need it to prevent officials from plundering the coffers,” Belmonte said.

He said the reproductive health bill was among the 25 bills that the House would present to the Palace once the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council was convened.

The Palace on Thursday said it would not be able to meet its target to call the first meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council by January as the Cabinet had not yet finished submitting its priority measures to the President.

“We will likely not be able to convene the Ledac this month. We will try to schedule it during the first half of February,” said the head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Antonio Roman.

Roman said Cabinet officials were still trimming down and refining some 30 priority legislative measures for President Benigno Aquino III’s consideration.

Mr. Aquino had earlier said he wanted to see the initial list of priority bills reduced to 12 to ensure swift passage by Congress.

The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines and other local business and management groups have also submitted a wish list of 41 priority legislative measures for the President’s consideration.

The list included easier rules on foreign equity; a law stopping local government units from banning mining operations; a bill allowing the beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to borrow using their land as collateral; a Cybercrime and Data Privacy Act; a bill limiting the total number of non-working holidays; and a bill to increase the competitiveness of export industry by exempting it from the expanded value-added tax on fuel. –Christine F. Herrera with Joyce Pangco Pañares, Manila Standard Today