Labor group bats for better infrastructure, railway projects over Cha-cha
By John Victor D. Ordonez, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINE government must prioritize bolstering its infrastructure and railway programs to boost jobs amid calls to revise the 1987 Constitution, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said on Wednesday.
“FFW argues that good infrastructure will entice more investments than the proposed economic chacha (charter change),” the labor group said in a statement.
Nelfa P. Bermudes, vice president for FFW Mindanao, said the government needs to build more interconnected railways to provide affordable mass transportation to workers.
Congress is currently deliberating on proposals to ease foreign ownership restrictions in the 1987 Charter, particularly in education, public utilities, and advertising.
Hilario G. Davide, Jr., a former chief justice and one of the framers of the Constitution, told senators last week that Congress should focus on cutting red tape and corruption instead of seeking to ease foreign ownership restrictions in the Constitution.“Amendments or revisions to the Constitution at this time would be a lethal experiment, a fatal hit, a plunge to death, a Cha-cha dance to the grave or to hell,” he said.
The FFW welcomed developments in fast-tracking the construction of the North-south commuter Railway, South Long Haul and other railway projects in Visayas and Mindanao.
“The railway projects across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao are key to propelling the Philippines towards a brighter, more united and better connected future,” Ms. Bermudez said.