Estrada ready to drop Concord - in 2001

BANGKOK, Thailand -- President Estrada will finally drop his administration's bid to amend the Charter if he fails to set in motion his Constitutional Correction for Development (Concord) initiative by May next year.

Speaking at a thanks- giving dinner he hosted here Saturday after a much-applauded speech at the 10th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the President said his administration would do everything to get Concord moving.

However, he said he would drop Concord altogether should it fail to gain public acceptance by his deadline.

The President said he is worried that the May 2001 national and local elections may sidetrack Congress. Congress members, he said, would already be busy campaigning and monitoring election results and would no longer have time to deliberate on Concord.

The Presidential Commission on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) recommended last year that Congress be convened as a constituent assembly to amend the Charter.

Former Chief Justice Andres Narvasa, who chairs the PCCR, had said a constituent assembly was the easiest and most affordable means of instituting changes in the country's most important law.

Mr. Estrada said he is hoping for a "fifty-fifty" chance that Congress would act fast on Concord. He noted that the year 2001 is the best time to change the Charter since his administration would still have three more years to work on implementing the changes.

"Kung lumampas ng May 2001 ayaw ko na (If it goes past beyond May 2001 then I will no longer do it)," he said. "It's too late. Let the next president do it."

The PCCR, which the President put up last year, had already submitted its formal recommendation on the specific amendments to be made in the 1987 Constitution.

Among the changes it proposed was the removal of restrictions on foreigners owning land and maintaining control over utility firms in the country.

The present Charter prohibits foreigners from owning land, and Mr. Estrada believes this has discouraged many investors from putting up businesses in the Philippines.

Such proposals, however, are being strongly opposed by various sectors, including the influential Catholic Church which described them as "virtually selling" the country to foreigners.

In the past, former President Fidel Ramos also tried to amend the Charter but he was blocked by wide opposition which saw his attempt as a mere ploy to be able to seek another term.

The Constitution bars the President from seeking a second six-year term.

Mr. Estrada, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction at the rate Congress is working on several economic reform bills he has certified as urgent.

He stressed that these measures, which include the privatization of the government-controlled National Power Corp., are needed to enable the Philippines to compete in the global arena.

Also included in the Palace-certified bills are the new Retail Trade Act, the Securities Act, and the Central Banking Act which the President said are expected to encourage more foreign investments in the country.