Balay Drilon

This I say after learning of moves to amend the 1987 Constitution—only the economic provisions—to amend only economic provisions could backfire and will only cause devastating negative effects on the national economy instead of improving it.

Due to the apparent poor credibility of the Arroyo administration in the business community, nobody will buy the excuse that only the economic provisions will be touched once the Malacanang Cha-Cha train takes off.

It is obvious that the primary motivation of Cha-Cha is the extension of President Arroyo’s term. No amount of sugarcoating or media spin can deodorize that self-serving objective.

Did I hear there was a move of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments that approved a resolution, sponsored by House Speaker Propero Nograles, scrapping foreign-ownership limits on corporations and lands as part of the congressmen’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution?

For the information of everyone, House Resolution 737 seeks to erase the constitutional provision limiting foreign ownership of a corporation to 40 percent and disallows foreign acquisition of both public and private lands. In relation to this, according to Nograles, enabling foreign corporations and associations to hold, acquire and in any manner be granted the right to possess and utilize lands in the Philippines is a strategic policy that could encourage more long-term foreign investments in the country.

If Malacanang continues to push the Nograles Cha-Cha resolution in the national agenda, it could trigger devastating consequences on the national economy, as it would give the impression that President Arroyo was succeeding in railroading it despite massive protests from the Filipino people.

Business leaders predict more political and financial instability that will trigger another wave of capital flight from disappointed foreign investors.

The negative impact of Charter Change could be enough to cripple the national economy in the first quarter of 2009 given the projected ill effects of the ongoing worldwide economic slowdown on Southeast Asia.

If this Malacanang-supported Nograles House resolution will dominate the national agenda, we can kiss our economic recovery programs goodbye. We must not underestimate the devastating effect of Malacanang’s self-serving exercise on the national economy that is already suffering from the effects of the current global financial crisis.

Makati business leaders fear that the renewed efforts to amend the Constitution will not help any in alleviating the country's flagging economy. I heard that Makati Business Club (MBC) Executive Director Alberto Lim said business leaders were wary that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's allies at the House of Representatives were moving to extend her term beyond 2010.

I had argued before that amending the Constitution was not the appropriate solution to resolve the current political and financial turmoil in the country. The proposed charter change would not eradicate corruption in government, which is the very root cause of the country's present problems. What we need is not a change in the system but a change in the character of the people in government.

I deplored the “internationalization” of the Mindanao peace process. The “unwarranted intervention” of certain foreign countries was making it more difficult for the national government to resolve its “internal problem” with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

I had been receiving persistent reports that the intervention of some countries, including Malaysia and the United States, was putting “undue pressure” on government negotiators to grant concessions to the MILF that clearly violate the Philippine Constitution, such as the giving away of certain territories of the republic. We certainly do not want to happen to Mindanao what happened to Kosovo.

I am alarmed by the appeal of MILF Chairman Ebrahim Murad to the Malaysian government to revive the Mindanao peace talks that was stalled when MILF forces attacked unarmed civilians in Central Mindanao around the second week of August last year. Murad also asked that the military be stopped from pursuing the MILF forces involved in the atrocities. The MILF commanders reportedly attacked the civilians because the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain last Aug. 5.

I hope Malacanang will find the moral courage to send a diplomatic note to Malaysia, saying in no uncertain terms that that the Philippine government will implement its laws against criminals who attack and murder unarmed civilians. I am sure that the Malaysian government will understand and will not give the impression that it condones the unlawful acts of the MILF, especially the unprovoked killing of innocent civilians.

We urge our leaders to resolve this Mindanao conflict as an internal matter. The equitable solution to the Mindanao problem can be achieved only through honest and sincere consultations with the people of Mindanao, and not with foreign countries that obviously have other selfish interests to pursue in Mindanao.

The internationalization of the Mindanao peace process is against our national interests.

Let me tell you also about the offer of British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham, who said his office was willing to bring politicians and officials from the United Kingdom (UK) to share with the Philippine government and the MILF how the Northern Ireland peace process had moved forward.

I have said that while we appreciate the generosity of the British ambassador, we regret to inform him that the case of Northern Ireland is the wrong model for the Mindanao Peace Process.

Allow me to remind you that during the UK-Ireland peace negotiations, it was established that the Irish Kingdom was already a strong independent monarchy for centuries before it was forcibly annexed by the English Kings. Ireland was already a state with strong ties with papal states until 150 years ago. Mindanao has always been part of the Republic of the Philippines ever since it was established. We must find our own model.