In the debate on the Constitutional amendment bill or Resolution of Both Houses 7, the public expects intelligent discussions from their elected representatives and not cheap gimmicks such as those being resorted to by the left-wing Makabayan bloc.

To gain attention, the small, loud gang is spreading outright lies, including the claim that inserting the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” in some of the Constitution’s restrictive economic provisions would be inflationary.

After six days of debates, the House Committee of the Whole approved the Resolution of Both Houses 7 last Wednesday. It now goes to plenary today, 11 March, and on 13 March, it is expected to be passed on second reading.

The House leadership assured the nation that RBH 7 would not be an opportunity to tinker with any political provisions of the Charter. Members of the leftist bloc have been floating that their colleagues can’t be relied on during the plenary to stick to their pledge of staying within the Charter change or cha-cha parameter.

Speaker Martin Romualdez gave his word that amendments would be confined to the provisions about public utilities, basic education, and advertising in the plenary debates.

Deputy majority leader Iloilo Representative Janette Garin said it would be political suicide if the House included political amendments in the plenary deliberations of RBH 7.

The obstructionist bloc is expected to prolong the debates to gain mileage, which is its equivalent of propaganda work that should be dispensed with as Congress has a shrinking window of opportunity to make economic cha-cha work.

While key sectors initially voiced skepticism on the People’s Initiative route for cha-cha, the sentiment has been replaced by an acknowledgment that the amendments will convince foreign investors that the country is serious about inviting capital.

Among the economic indicators, the nation lags behind its rivals in the region in foreign investments.

The Makabayan bloc earlier said it would oppose holding a referendum on the cha-cha proposals simultaneous with the 2025 mid-term elections.

The RBH 7 deliberations at the committee level, which ran for a week and in which the House rabble-rousers participated, did not have an instance when an agenda other than the economic provisions was introduced.

The Makabayan bloc’s ultimate target, however, is frustrating a key initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in changing the investment landscape.

The loudmouths in the House are a compelling reason for a growing clamor to remove the party list system since these individuals who have no iota of a chance to get elected in Congress found a shortcut to get a House seat.

Members of the bloc prioritize throwing roadblocks on administration projects just to take the opposing side and thus get news mentions.

Sometime in 2021, parents of young children recruited into the armed rebellion petitioned the Commission on Audit to look into the use of congressional funds by members of the Makabayan bloc since they essentially do not have a solid constituency except for the sectors that Bayan Muna, ACT-Teachers, Gabriela, and Kabataan claim to represent.

CoA was asked to determine if public money is being spent on legal projects and services.

The parents’ group asked, “Are their staffers and employees legitimate and not ‘full-time’ organizers of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front?”

Keeping a rational discussion about RBH 7 would not be possible with the obfuscation coming from the so-called Makabayan bloc, the members of which have a darker agenda than informing the public.