DOF bats for ‘doable’ economic measures as Congress holds Cha-cha hearings

MANILA - Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said lawmakers should pass “doable” economic measures with only 17 months left in the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, as Congress again held hearings on amendments to the Constitution on Tuesday.

“What is most important is to undertake what is immediately achievable,” said Dominguez during a hearing chaired by AKO-BICOL partylist Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. 

Dominguez said doable economic measures include the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act (CREATE) and amendments to the Public Service Act, the Retail Trade Liberalization Act and the Foreign Investments law. 

The Finance chief said “If there are areas that we can liberalize by amending our existing laws, then let's do that.” 

Dominguez meanwhile declined to advise lawmakers on how to amend the economic portions of the Constitution saying this was “a political question.” 

“And I would not dare advise our legislators on the matter,” Dominguez said. 

Some business leaders earlier called on lawmakers to focus on passing the measures mentioned by Dominguez instead of trying to amend the Charter. 

Other business groups meanwhile said they support amending some of the economic provisions of the 1987 Charter, but warned against amending other parts of the Constitution that don’t relate to the economy.