Shall we dance?

With the pandemic leaving our economy ailing, talks about the Charter Change (“Cha-Cha”) is being revived again as a remedy to the present dilemma. The constitutional restriction on foreign ownership is being seen as an obstacle to jumpstart our economy. For instance, since our organic law does not allow foreign ownership over real properties, this tend to frustrate foreign investments in our country. The reason is that they cannot fully exercise management and business prerogative with all these restrictions in placed.

While I agree that it is about high-time to revisit this provision, it must however be done with extreme caution. True, the constitutional restriction on foreign ownership is inconsistent with the Philippines policy on globalization and trade liberalization thus leaving us behind our Asian neighbors. Be that as it may, the present political atmosphere should not be altogether disregarded where human rights abuse and unequal treatment in opportunity is prevalent.

We cannot afford to open our market where it will only serve the interest of the few, especially, the Chinese. Unfortunately, the present administration remained tolerant of their increasing violation and circumvention of our laws ranging from non-payment of taxes to commission of crimes. Filipino workers, especially those in the lease agreement, cannot catch up with the ever skyrocketing value of real estate following the influx of Chinese workers in the Philippines. The preference of real estate owners to the Chinese lessee displaces Filipinos as the former can offer a higher rent than the latter. In a country where housing is still a problem, allowing foreign ownership may further aggravate this situation.

On the other hand, Chinese workers are engaged not only in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), but also to the professions which should be exclusive to the Filipinos. The Labor Code provides that employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after a determination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired. However, we have seen Chinese workers engaged in construction where Filipinos are undoubtedly capable of.

In sum, we can see that they are not only capable of invading our homes but depriving us of work opportunities as well. In principle, giving the foreigners full ownership will certainly revive our economy ravaged by pandemic. Practically speaking however, the present reality of things will stifle this realization. Also, we cannot afford to offer as collateral our real properties as payment to our debts to China. This will certainly result to what we fear as “debt-trap”. It will be as if the Philippines, as a prey, will open its doors to China, as the predator. There can be no balance in the food chain where there is only one predator. The indifference of the present administration to the plight of the Filipinos, while handling with care the Chinese in its cradle is certainly a bad tune.