Transcript of Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri's opening statement at the Senate hearing for RBH No. 6
February 5, 2024

Thank you very much to my colleague, Sen. Sonny Angara, our chairman of the Subcommittee, together with the Chairman, Sen. Robinhood Padilla. To all my colleagues, and of course the guests, all our friends, legal luminaries from the legal community, thank you for joining us today.

We also have today economists, joining us. I know Tito Gary is here and others that are going to assist us in ferreting out the best way possible to remove the economic restrictions in the Constitution.

We would just like to put on record that the Senate is working very hard to listen to the clamor of certain sectors to look at and revisit the 1987 Constitution. But we will not be falling into a trap on any deadline, because

to discuss such an important matter needs time, it needs study. It cannot be rushed like any regular bill that is just approved without thinking. So we, ladies and gentlemen here in the Senate, will make sure that we will deliberate this as much as possible, and come up with the best outcome for our people.

And so with that, I give my full support to our chairperson, Sen. Sonny Angara. The timeline is in your hands. If you feel it necessary that we discuss this with all members of society, not only our learned luminaries here, but also different sectors that will be affected by proposed amendments to our Constitution.

So we leave it all to you, my dear colleagues, my dear chairman, you have the full trust and confidence of this institution. Again, let us not listen to the noise. Let us be above the fray. The Senate as an institution should be statesmen and women that will always look at the best possible outcome for our country, not for our localities, but for our country. Therefore, let us filter out the noise and focus on the work at hand. Mabuhay po ang Senado. Mabuhay ang Republika ng Pilipinas. Thank you very much.