On the first day of the hearing on Resolution of Both Houses 7 (RBH7) in the Lower House yesterday, February 27, patriotic congressmen immediately registered their opposition to it. RBH7 is the proposal that seeks to change the 1987 constitution. It is the same proposal as RBH6 filed in the Senate. According to the Congress leadership, the congressmen did not change anything and the RBH7 is only a copy of RBH6, whose main purpose is to change provisions limiting foreign ownership in some sectors of the economy.

“As teachers’ representatives, we must protect and preserve Filipino ownership of our own institutions against the influence of foreigners,” said House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Party Rep. France Castro. The education sector and its institutions are among the sectors being considered for 100% foreign ownership.

“If these planned changes continue, our people will further lose access to education because of the high tuition fees that will be imposed under the control of foreigners,” she said. Foreigners can now control and have great influence in our education which will worsen colonial mentality.”

She encouraged students and teachers to speak out and oppose chacha that, she said, would harm the future of education in the country. She also said that Congress should focus on issues related to wages, high commodity prices and other grievances and problems of the people, instead of working for chacha.

“As educators, let’s raise our students’ awareness about the danger that Cha-Cha brings and give them courage to stand up and assert their welfare,” he said.

RBH 6 and RBH 7

The Senate pushed RBH 6 to counter the people’s initiative driven by the Congress leadership at the beginning of this year. This initiative aims to remove the senate’s role in any charter change. With the proposal of RBH6, the senate once again is leading the chacha and securing its own agenda.

According to the resolution, only three provisions will be changed when the Lower and Upper Houses are formed into a constituent assembly with separate voting. Foreigners will be given the right to fully own public utilities (Article XII, Section 11); educational institutions (Article IX, Section 4); and advertising (Article XVI, Section 11). According to the regime’s plan, the amendments will be undertaken in a plebiscite together with the 2025 election.