THE House of Representatives is scheduled to start plenary debates this Monday on proposed economic constitutional amendments contained in Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7.

Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., one of the principal authors of RBH No. 7, yesterday said the plenary will tackle the report of the Committee of the Whole House, which endorsed the approval of the resolution “without amendment.”

He said he expects the deliberations to be shorter than the proceedings of the Committee of the Whole House, which conducted six days of marathon and extensive hearings on the proposed amendments to which scores of resource persons and experts were invited.

“In plenary, the proponents of the economic Charter changes will defend their proposals. The plan is to have three days of debates, with the second-reading vote set shortly after the termination of discussions and the period for amendments on the third day,” he said.

He added that upon the direction of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the House is sticking with its timeline of approving the proposed amendments on third and final reading before the Holy Week, after which it would send RBH No. 7 to the Senate.

On Friday, Speaker expressed confidence that the Senate would be able to obtain the needed 18 votes, or three-fourths of all its members, to adopt the economic Charter change proposals.

“Ako ay naniniwala sa liderato ng Senado, lalo kay SP (Senate president) Migz (Juan Miguel) Zubiri na kakayanin niya lahat at ikukumbinsi niya lahat ng mga kasamahan niya sa Senado,” the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives told reporters.

The leader of the 300-plus-strong House was reacting to Zubiri’s statement that getting the required 18 votes in the Senate for the economic amendment proposals “is a big challenge” but that “it’s not impossible.”

Zubiri earlier said he and his colleagues would approve the proposed Charter changes later this month before Holy Week.

The Senate is tackling RBH No. 6, its own version of the proposed constitutional changes. It is authored by Zubiri and Senators Loren Legarda and Juan Edgardo Angara.

Gonzales reiterated that the proposed amendments would give Congress the flexibility to change foreign capital and foreign ownership restrictions in the Constitution in three areas: public utilities, education and advertising.

“The ratification of the amendments will immediately send a powerful signal to investors that we want to attract more foreign investments in these sectors of the economy by changing those limitations down the road,” he said.

RBH Nos. 6 and 7 are both entitled, “A Resolution of Both Houses of Congress proposing amendments to certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, particularly on Articles Xll, XlV and XVl.”

The other authors of RBH No. 7 include Deputy Speakers David Suarez, Yasser Alonto Balindong, Roberto Puno, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Camille Villar, Raymond Democrito Mendoza, Vincent Franco Frasco, and Antonio Albano; Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Senior Deputy Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos; and Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez, Jose Aquino ll, Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr., Brian Raymund Yamsuan, Albert Garcia, Johnny Ty Pimentel, Eleandro Jesus Madrona, Robert Ace Barbers, Michael John Duavit, Wilfrido Mark Enverga, Elizaldy Co, Tobias Tiangco, Angelica Natasha Co, Jude Acidre, and Rufus Rodriguez, who chairs the House Constitutional Amendments Committee.