Lumilitaw na hindi masyadong naiintindihan ng mga lider ng bansa ang mga batas sa foreign ownership sa Pilipinas sa gitna na pagtutulak ng ilan na i-relax ang economic restriction ng 1987 Constitution, ayon kay retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
Sa pagpapatuloy ng pagdinig ng Senate Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes hearing on Resolution of Both Houses 6, binigyang-diin ni Carpio na ang Pilipinas ay isa sa pinaka-liberal na foreign investment law sa ASEAN at sa Asia.
Kahit hindi amiyendahan ang Charter, sinabi ni Carpio na marami nang naipasang mga baas ang Pilipinas para bukasa ang ekonomiya sa 100 foreign ownership, partikular ang inamiyendahang Public Services Act at Retail Trade Liberalization Act.
"There appears to be a lack of understanding by our national leaders of the extent of foreign ownership under the law of businesses in our country," sabi ni Carpio sa komite.
Partikular aniya ang sinabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. noon na bukas siya sa ideya na amiyendahan ang economic provisions ng batas maliban sa mga kritikal na sektor.
"Power generation has always been open to 100 percent foreign ownership for the longest time…In an interview, President [Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. declared that he wants to open the economy to foreign investments and I quote, 'except in critical areas such as power generation,'" pahayag ni Carpio.
"Our generation from coal, oil and gas plants has been opened to 100 percent foreign ownership for the longest time. The Supreme Court has also allowed 100 percent foreign ownership of power generation from dams or hydro power plants," dagdag pa niya.
Sabi pa ng dating SC justice, mismong ang Department of Justice (DOJ) at Department of Energy (DOE) sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang administrasyon ay pinayagan ang 100% ownership sa power generation sa solar at wind.
Sinisi naman ni Carpio ang ilan sa mga nagtutulak ng people's initiative na sinisisi ang restrictive economic provisions ng Konstitusyon para sa sitwasyon ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.
"The proponents of the present people's initiative blame the restrictive economic provisions of the constitution for the low foreign direct investments, the high unemployment, and the slow economic growth of our country. These are all false reasons," ani Carpio.
"We have to address the real causes. The real cause is not the Constitution. Nobody cares. The President has been going abroad and has been saying, 'I have secured almost P500 billion in foreign investment' and not one of those foreigners who plan to invest here required an amendment to our Constitution," diin pa niya.
Aniya, ang pinakang-ugat ng mababang foreign direct investment sa Pilipinas ay ang mataas na halaga ng kuryente, burukrasya at mahinang imprastraktura.
Ang Pilipinas aniya ay pinakamataas na power rate sa sa ASEAN region at pangalawa sa Japan sa pinakamataas ng power rate sa Asya.
ATTY. EDNA DEL MORAL
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