PABOR si dating Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna na maamyendahan ang restrictive economic provision ng 1987 Constitution.

Umaasa si Azcuna, ang tumayong vice chairman ng legislative committee ng Constitutional Commission na gumawa ng kasalukuyang Konstitusyon, na matutuloy na ang pag-amyenda rito ngayon.

“I hope that with this, we can finally amend the Constitution so that it will be responsive to the fast-changing economic condition of the day,” ani Azcuna.

Sa ikalawang araw ng pagdinig ng House Committee of the Whole sa Resolution of Both Houses No. 7, sinabi ni Azcuna na ang pag-amyenda sa Articles 12, 14, at 16 ng 1987 Constitution ay naglalayong luwagan ang limitasyon ng dayuhang pamumuhunan sa public utilities, edukasyon, at advertisement.

Sinabi rin ni Azcuna na dahil limitado lamang sa economic provision ang tatalakayin ng Senado at Kamara, hindi magagalaw ang political provisions.

“[The Constitutional amendment] is limited by the very form of their proposed resolution, which is in the form of a joint resolution of both Houses, and it is subjected to the cardinal rule of one subject matter only that must be expressed in that title. So political matters are not covered because they are not in the subject matter stated in the title. So that is the safeguard,” sabi ni Azcuna.

Ipinunto rin ni Azcuna na ang pagsingit ng “unless otherwise provided by law” ay nangangahulugan na maaaring amyendahan ng Kongreso ang limitasyon ng naaayon sa pangangailangan ng bansa.

“It does not do any other thing. It makes it changeable by legislation. This is to me the best solution to the economic provisions’ restriction because economic provisions should be flexible and they should not be cast in stone and 37 years is casting in stone. The economic provisions must be responsive to changing economic conditions. Therefore, I believe that we should change the provisions to make them flexible by legislation by simply adding an amendment unless otherwise provided by law,” paliwanag ni Azcuna.