MANILA, Philippines- The House of Representatives’ Committee of the Whole on Wednesday approved Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 7 which seeks to amend certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

The resolution was approved after the committee deliberations which started on March 4, 2024 and which were attended by resource persons.

Like the RBH 6 filed at the Senate, RBH 7 covered Article XII (Section 11), Article XIV (paragraph 2 of Section 4), and Article XVI (paragraph 2 of Section 11).

Both resolutions seek to add the words “unless otherwise provided by law” to these provisions. They also seek to add the word “basic” before the words “educational institutions” in the first sentence of paragraph 2, Section 4 of Article XIV.

An approved committee report would have to be sent by the Committee of the Whole to the House plenary where the lawmakers would vote for or against the resolution

The 1987 Constitution states that any amendment to or revision of it may be proposed by: (1) the Congress, upon a 3/4 vote of all its members; or (2) a constitutional convention.

The Constitution also allows direct proposal of amendments to it by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three percent of the registered voters therein.