Marcos: Cha-cha not my priority

TOKYO — Amending the 1987 Constitution is not a priority of his administration, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday.

“It’s not a priority for me because maraming ibang kailangang gawin eh. Maraming kailangan, there are so many different, there are so many other things that we need to do first,” Marcos told reporters on the flight back to Manila after his five-day official visit to Japan.

Marcos said the administration's goals can be achieved under the present Constitution.

“I think… the reason that it’s being talked about is because of the economic provisions. Gusto nga natin magkaroon ng investment, kung minsan sagabal ‘yun. Alam naman ninyo ‘yung mga issue diyan, ‘yung mga ownership, appropriation, ownership [inaudible] ‘yung mga ganoon,” he said.

“But for me, lahat itong mga pinag-usapan kaya nating gawin na hindi palitan ang Saligang Batas,” he added.

In his address before the Japanese business community on Friday, Marcos touted the country’s liberalization reforms on foreign investment, particularly the revised the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law to improve the financial viability of PPP projects. 

The President also brought up the Philippines' removing major barriers to foreign investments via landmark legislations, such as the amendments to the Foreign Investments Act, the Public Service Act, and the Retail Trade Liberalization law. — BM, GMA Integrated News