MANILA -- Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Saturday expressed his support to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on the need to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution to make the country more competitive and attract more foreign investment.

Salceda noted the earlier statements of the President during an interview where he said the Constitution’s economic provisions must be changed because it was not written for a globalized world and no longer suited to address the current challenges.

Salceda supported the President’s opinions, adding that the Philippines has not opened up to foreign investment and already overtaken by its Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of development and competitiveness.

“Iyong ba talaga ang ano nila, hindi ba dapat ang debate nakakaganda na ito, okay sa ba inyo iyong Constitution na ito, na sarado ang Pilipinas napag-iiwanan ka. Ano nalang ba ang hindi natin mahabol, Cambodia iniwanan na tayo in five years. Dati una tayo diyan sa Thailand, naiwanan tayo,” Salceda said in a news forum in Quezon City.

“Make a new Constitution, naiiwanan tayo ng isang country. Eh sabihin na nating walang mali sa Constitution… ang problema, iyong ibang countries may ginawang tama – nagbukas sila,” he said.

Citing reforms carried out by Cambodia, Salceda said the Southeast Asian country already adopted value adding in its agriculture sector and has been selling manufactured and processed products.

According to Salceda, the restriction on land ownership, public utilities, natural resources, franchises, education, mass media, and practice of profession are hindering investments impacting on development.

“Tulad din iyan dito sa lupa, hindi ka mag-i-invest sa lupa dahil hindi naman sa iyo. Kaya nga nagkaroon ng land reform ‘di ba? Kasi nga, hindi naman kanila, sa tiller kung hindi sa land owner,” he pointed out.

“Tingnan mo ‘yan ha, pero iyong sa atin, okay – advertising, private land. In short, all the inputs to innovation and competitiveness, sinara natin.” (PND)