Can the Small Fish Thrive Alongside the Big Fish?

In a country where raging issues are often shelved to accommodate new ones, the issue of Charter Change keeps coming back.  It has momentarily taken the back seat to give way to the uproar over an expensive gastronomic party and other tidbits shaking the political grapevine.  There are other issues that will probably whet our political enthusiasm for the moment but the issue of Charter Change will keep surfacing because of its far-ranging implications. 

I shall not dwell on the political reasons for Charter Change as these have been more than adequately dealt with in the media and other fora for sometime now.  I shall focus on the economic reasons which are argued by some as less contentious.  In fact, they are not.  Proponents for Charter Change say that the long-term objective of amending the Constitution is to make the country economically stable and competent in the age of Globalization regardless of who will be in government.  At a glance, the declaration seems plausible but there is wisdom to be on the side of prudence especially when the initiative is perceived to be emanating not from the ground but from somewhere else.  What are the amendments being considered?  And would these amendments benefit the country in the long run?

Constitutions are social documents to promote the general welfare of citizens of free and independent nations.  However, this doctrine is presently threatened in the Age of Globalization where neo-liberals have been selling the idea of a borderless world without economic restrictions.  The political leadership in many countries has succumbed to the pressure of amending their constitutions to accommodate investment rules associated with economic globalization.   The specter of Charter Change which has haunted Filipinos in recent years has to be studied in this light.

Historically, the Philippines has been an open field for foreign investments, but proponents of Charter Change want the surrender of our national patrimony and the granting of parity rights to foreigners enshrined in the Constitution.  However, what is constitutional will not necessarily be right.  Consider the following: 

1. Foreign entities will be granted the same rights as Filipino citizens to own residential, commercial and industrial land;
2. Foreign interests will be allowed to exploit our natural resources;
3. Foreign entities will be allowed to control and/or operate public utilities such as water, electricity and telecommunications;
4. Charter Change will allow foreign ownership of mass media, schools, and advertising firms;

We have to be actively engaged in the discourse on Charter Change or wake up one day to discover that we have been fenced off from our land.