TOKYO - President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said Sunday that for now, he is not keen on the idea of amending the constitution to accommodate the investment pledges and business deals that were secured during his 5-day official working visit to Japan.

In a media interview aboard the plane en route to the Philippines, Marcos said charter change is not necessary to actualize the investments pledges and agreements.

• Charter change a 'problematic pursuit' at this time: UP professors

"It is not a priority for me, because maraming ibang kailangan gawin eh. There are so many other things that we need to do first, that we can still do, we can achieve, kung makuha natin ang gusto natin but within the present constitutional, the way the constitution is written," he told reporters.

Thirty-four letters of intent were signed by different companies from Japan and the Philippines, and a government-to-government deal was also inked during the president's visit.

Marcos acknowledged there were proposals to the amend the economic provisions in the Constitution to help businesses thrive in the country and remove roadblocks for foreign investments.

"Gusto nga natin na magkaroon ng investment. Minsan, sagabal iyon. Alam niyo naman ang mga isyu diyan - iyong ownership ng corporation, ownership ng lupa, mga ganoon. But for me, lahat itong mga pinag-usapan, kaya natin gawin na hindi pinapalitan ang Saligang Batas," he said.

A few days earlier, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos, said that Congress was eyeing to amend the "restrictive" economic provisions in the Constitution and some laws to make the Philippines even more "conducive" for business investments.

• House panel kicks off provincial consultations on charter change

He said that during the business meetings with various Japanese companies, there were queries on the Philippine's taxation system, tariff issues, incentives and certain exemptions that could affect their business operations in the country.

"We were actually getting the sense from all the businessmen, and the President, from time to time, would tell us — depending on what industry, what sector - he would refer to the Senate President, myself - 'Maybe, you should revisit the legislation there'," Romualdez, who joined the Tokyo trip, told reporters last Friday.

"Or perhaps, when it comes to certain taxes, maybe we should revisit that, maybe we should consider amending certain laws that would make the tax burden… to make it just more conducive, so we could make adjustments...," he added.

• Amending 1987 Constitution will benefit Filipinos economically - lawmaker

RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC