Charles Teves
Angie Mead King and Suzette Doctolero don’t like the idea of foreigners owning land in the Philippines.
On Twitter, King and Doctolero shared their thoughts on the possibility of the Philippine government giving aliens the ability to own Philippine property.
King pointed out that countries that allow domestic property ownership by foreigners have a disastrous real estate market.
https://twitter.com/Angiemeadking/status/1642011582644502528?s=20
“If you let foreigners own land completely the Filipino people won’t be able to afford anything in the city anymore. Look at countries like Canada and the UK where real estate prices have been overinflated and most locals live outside the CBD. Do we really want that?” King tweeted on April 1.
In another tweet, King said she’s “OK with business and corporations but not land ownership.”
Im ok with business and corporations but not land ownership https://t.co/qN1s1idL6M
— Angelina Mead King 🏳️⚧️ (@Angiemeadking) April 1, 2023
Doctolero also shared similar sentiments. She said other countries have higher income potential than the Philippines.
Ibang kaso ang sa Us at Canada, doon ang mga citizens nila, kahit blue collar workers, ay malalaki ang sahod kaya may kakayahang bumili ng lupa kaya may equal oppurtunity. Hindi gaya dito. Walang kakayahang bunili ng lupa ang mahirap sa Pinas!
— Suzette S. Doctolero (@SuziDoctolero) April 2, 2023
She added that Filipinos would have nothing to buy due to increased real estate prices if a law on foreign ownership was passed.
Once maisabatas rin ito, biglang tataas ang presyo ng mga lupa para ibenta sa mga banyaga, mas lalong walang chance makabili ang pobreng pinoy. Hindi ganitong batas ang ibinibigay sa mga foreign investors kungdi pagtatanggal ng red tape at kotong sa pagtatayo ng negosyo! https://t.co/Qq1Zx1L3yV
— Suzette S. Doctolero (@SuziDoctolero) April 2, 2023
Despite opposition from many of his colleagues regarding Charter change (Cha-cha), Senator Robinhood Padilla publicly disclosed a list of proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution recommended by his committee, including complete foreign ownership of land.
The Senate Committee on constitutional amendments and code revision released a nine-page draft report recommending amendments to seven sections of three articles of the Charter.
These sections include Sections 2, 3, 7, 10, and 11 of Article XII; Section 4 of Article XIV; and Section 11 of Article XVI. The proposed revisions focused exclusively on foreign ownership and did not suggest any changes to political provisions, such as term limits for elected officials or the ban on political dynasties.
One of the proposed amendments was for Congress to pass a law permitting foreign nationals to own private land up to 1,000 square meters in size. In addition, it allowed foreign corporations to own rural land up to five hectares.
It is unclear how many of the 12 committee members have signed the committee report, as Padilla did not mention this. The committee includes Senators Francis Tolentino, Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Ronald dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Go, Grace Poe, Bong Revilla, Mark Villar, and Risa Hontiveros, plus Padilla.
However, Senator Risa Hontiveros said she would not sign the draft report, contrary to Padilla’s earlier assertion. Hontiveros stated that amending the Constitution is not necessary at present.
“I will not sign because I believe that, like the Maharlika Investment Fund, Cha-cha is not what is needed right now,” Hontiveros said at a press conference on March 21.
As the committee’s future remains unclear, Padilla emphasized that holding a constituent assembly is the appropriate and cost-effective method to modify the 36-year-old Charter.
He argued that the Constitution’s restrictive and protectionist provisions should be lifted to allow foreign businesses to own private properties fully and franchises granted by Congress, schools, the mass media, and public utilities.
