SENATOR Cynthia Villar on Friday virtually indicated that moves to rewrite certain economic provisions of the Constitutions were much ado about nothing.
Villar, a veteran legislator, rejected proposals to amend three provisions of the 1987 Constitution, saying they were insignificant and minor to help boost the national economy.
Interviewed during the National Federation Hog Festival 2024 in Quezon City, Villar stressed that the purported restrictive provisions to be amended in the Constitution were just minor.
“They were not important,” Villar said.
The provisions sought to be amended pertain to public utilities, advertising, and education.
“If you want to improve the economy, we can just legislate what we need to improve,” she said.
“Because businessmen were actually talking about the problems on widespread corruption and (non-adherence) to the Ease of Doing Business (Act),” the senator added.
“Just minimize corruption and we will be ok,” Villar asserted.
Reacting on the House initiative pushing a parliamentary form of government seen leading to the abolition of the Senate, Villar pointed out that no senator would vote for a measure booting him out.
“Sino namang Senador ang boboto na tatanggalin siya (What senator will vote for his removal)?”
“That’s already common sense. If the Senate will be removed, no senator will vote,” she said.
The subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Code is still conducting hearings on Resolution of Both Houses No. 6 (RBH-6) which seeks to amend the said three provisions of the Constitution.
During the hearings, Committee chairman Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said they have heard the pros and cons on the Charter change (Cha-cha) including views from former justices of the Supreme Court; legal luminaries, including framers of the Constitution, and economic experts, among others.
The senators have yet to come up with their official stand on the contentious issue.
RBH6 was filed by Angara, along with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda.
The measure specifies that only 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 will be discussed and reviewed to foster more leniency in foreign participation in public services, education and the advertising industries.