Even without President Aquino’s support, the leader of the House of Representatives on Sunday said that the lower chamber would still approve the measure amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., an ally of President Aquino, said the lower chamber is an independent body and can approve his Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 1 freely.
“We will do it [the passage of the economic Cha-cha] anyway,” said Belmonte, adding, “presidential approval is not part of the [congressional] process.”
The Palace has repeatedly rejected the proposal amending the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, which ratified during the term of President Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.
In June 2014 President Aquino announced his stance against Charter change until 2016, saying that Congress is wasting time on it.
Earlier, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr., said he has yet to see a signal that the President had relented on his “firm belief” that there is no need to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.
Just last week, the Palace curtly rejected separate bids by Senate and House leaders to fast-track the passage of the 1987 Constitution in order to relax restrictions on the entry of foreign investors.
The Aquino administration also said investments continue to come in, despite existing restrictions limiting ownership by foreign investors in certain sectors.
Earlier, Belmonte said he hopes Mr. Aquino will not actively campaign against the passage of the Cha-cha.
Party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe of AKO Bicol, who sponsored RBH 1, or the economic Cha-cha, urged President Aquino to reconsider his current stance on the measure.
“I think the Palace should rethink its position, considering that we are not opening or closing our economy but merely making our Constitution flexible,” he said.
Batocabe said the lower chamber is eyeing to approve on second reading the eco-nomic Chacha this week and on final reading before Congress’s sine die adjournment on
June 12.
Meanwhile, LP Rep. Alfredo B. Benitez of Negros Occidental, chairman of the Visayan bloc, has reiterated his group’s support for the passage of the economic Cha-cha.
Currently, the Visayan bloc has 42 members in the lower chamber.