I support the ongoing People's Initiative campaign to amend the 1987 Constitution as a private citizen and a registered voter. In fact, I am actively encouraging my townmates in the City of San Pedro, Laguna to sign the petition.

The petition seeks to amend Article XVII Section 1 par. (1) of the 1987 Constitution by delegating the power to propose amendments or revisions to Congress as one body, voting jointly. 

There have been a lot of debates by legal luminaries on whether our bicameral Congress, in proposing to amend or revise the Constitution, should vote jointly or separately. This ambiguity is an oversight of the framers of the 1987 Constitution because the provision sought to be amended now is silent. The Senate has exploited this ambiguity to frustrate attempts by the House to propose amendments to the Constitution, resulting in a static document that has not evolved alongside our country's needs. If successful, the People's Initiative campaign will end this ambiguity and open the door to constitutional reforms.

This ambiguity itself is an example of the 1987 Constitution not being a perfect document. It has a lot of flaws. In fact, it was deliberated on for only four months by the 48-member Constitutional Commission appointed by then-President Cory Aquino.

A review of the 1987 Constitution is long overdue as it has not evolved in 36 years. This is an abnormal situation, considering international scholars found that national constitutions remained unamended on average for 19 years. This is so because societies and their needs evolve, making it impossible for a single document to remain perfectly relevant forever. In fact, the US Constitution was amended three years after its ratification in 1788. It has undergone 27 amendments since then.

As I mentioned in my earlier article, the restrictive economic provisions are among the 1987 Constitution's many flaws. Notably, the current limitations on foreign ownership have hindered the country's ability to fully capitalize on the benefits of globalization, international trade, and even world-class education. For example, the Philippines lags behind other ASEAN countries in terms of foreign direct investments, and foreign investors have expressed reluctance to invest due to the Constitution's strict restrictions on foreign ownership.

A 2021 report by the World Bank indicated that relaxing foreign ownership restrictions could improve the country's attractiveness to FDIs and facilitate technology transfer and knowledge sharing, ultimately leading to increased job opportunities and higher economic growth. In addition, a study by the Asian Development Bank found that allowing foreign ownership in certain industries could enhance competition and innovation, driving productivity and efficiency gains in the long run.