MANILA, Philippines – Posible umanong maaprubahan pagkatapos ng Easter Sunday o sa Abril 9 ang panukalang sovereign wealth fund (SWF) ng bansa.
Ito ang sinabi ni House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez sa panayam nitong Biyernes, Pebrero 10 nang matanong kung magiging problema ba ang pag-amyenda sa Konstitusyon kasabay ng pag-arangkada ng ekonomiya ng bansa.
Ani Romualdez, hindi naman magiging problema ang bagay na ito lalo na kung makikinig lamang ang mga mambabatas sa hiling ng publiko.
Inihalimbawa na niya rito ang proposed proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) na dumaan sa iba’t ibang revision bago naaprubahan ng Kamara sa huling pagbasa, sabay sabing posible itong maaprubahan ng Senado pagkatapos ng Easter.
“Nakita naman natin na sa umpisa maraming mga tanong, maraming mga batikos pa, pero hinarap natin lahat tapos sinagot natin lahat tapos yung mga suggestions, amendments, tinanggap nating lahat kaya imbes na maraming tutol, 92 percent of the House signed it, sila ang co-author kasi there’s ownership eh, very participative yan eh. So you listen, that’s what we’re there for, that’s why may hearing — nakikinig tayo,” sinabi ni Romualdez habang nasa Tokyo, Japan.
“So that’s why we’re able to pass it very, very quickly because we accepted all the amendments that we could and there’s ownership by most, not all, the Congressmen and that’s how it passed. And I have a funny feeling in the Senate it will pass soon. Maybe after Easter tapos na yan,” dagdag niya.
Ani Romualdez, nakita na ng mga senador ang House-approved version ng panukala — ang House Bill (HB) No. 6608 — at nagustuhan nila ito.
Matatandaan na noong Disyembre 15 ay naipasa na sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang HB No. 6608, kaparehong araw matapos naman itong maipasa sa ikalawang pagbasa.
“Because they saw na the draft. The draft went from a draft to the one that we passed…and they …uy maganda na to. There are a few questions din and that’s what we’re asking the Senate to do. If they can still perfect it, pagandahin pa, pagandahin niyo,” ani Romualdez.
“At the end of the day, because we know that the sovereign wealth fund will be a magnet for foreign investments. It will attract a lot of people overseas because they usually say — oh, we’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Philippines — usually a sovereign wealth fund attracts a lot of foreign capital because those running the sovereign wealth fund are experts in the field of finance, trade, and banking, known for their probity and their integrity,” dagdag pa niya.
Naunang inihain ni Romualdez at iba pang mga mambabatas ang HB No. 6398, orihinal na bersyon ng HB No. 6608 na layong magtatag ng SWF ng bansa. RNT/JGC
