THE House Committee on Constitutional Amendments will continue holding public hearings and consultations as part of its mandate and duty.

This is according to Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the committee chairman, in reaction to the statement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that changing the 1987 Constitution is not his priority.

However, Rodriguez said he and the panel is respecting the decision of Marcos.

“We respect the opinion of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on constitutional amendment measures. We will of course consider it. But as an independent branch of government, the House of Representatives and Congress will proceed with its public dialogues on this issue,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez was referring to the President’s statement that the country could attract foreign investments even with the present 1987 Constitution.

He reacted to the President’s remarks as his panel was conducting hearings in Iloilo City.

“We laud and commend President Marcos Jr. for trying to entice foreign businessmen in his trips abroad to invest their money in the country. He is our country’s best salesman. But certain restrictive provisions of the Charter could be impeding investments,” he said.

“In our hearings at the House of Representatives last week and in Cagayan de Oro City last Friday, the overwhelming recommendation was to rewrite the Constitution’s economic provisions to allow for more foreign investments,” Rodriguez added.

He said participants also suggested the calling of an elected constitutional convention to propose Charter changes.

“The emerging consensus is to relax restrictions on the entry of foreign capital into the country,” he said.

The committee will hold more consultations in San Fernando, Pampanga, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan and other parts of Luzon.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has said if the House decides to initiate the process of proposing amendments to the Constitution, its goal would be to encourage investments that would generate more economic activities, job opportunities and income for our people.”

He said aside from hearings in the House at the Batasan complex in Quezon City, the Rodriguez has scheduled public discussions and dialogues in other parts of Luzon, and in Visayas and Mindanao.

“Initial consultation among authors and committee members has led to shared consensus on two major issues: 1) the need to lift overly-protective provisions that restrict the inflow of foreign capital in the Philippines; and 2) constitutional convention as a mode of amending the Constitution,” the Speaker said.

He said the tweaking of the Charter’s economic provisions could be the “last piece in the puzzle” of attracting more foreign investments.