THE KOREAN Chamber of Commerce Philippines expressed support on the proposed constitutional amendment that would open Philippine education, particularly higher learning institutions, to more foreign investments.

During the hearing of the Committee of the Whole House of Representatives, KCCP president Hyun Chong Un said his group welcomed the planned liberalization of Philippine education.

He said more Koreans and foreign students would come to the country if there are foreign schools operating here.

“It will make Philippine education more competitive. It will benefit the Philippines,” he said.

He informed the panel at present some 50,000 Koreans are enrolled in local schools.

He added his compatriots are particularly interested in learning English.

The KCCP head also told the Committee of the Whole House that his group shares the stand of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce supporting the proposed economic constitutional amendments.

Another panel resource person, Ateneo law professor Anthony Abad, appealed to lawmakers to review the Constitution for amendments that would make the country globally competitive.

“My wish is within our lifetime, we will finally see our Constitution being modernized,” he said.

Abad, who is involved with foreign trade organizations, said the country’s basic law can be a powerful tool for attracting foreign investments.

“Opening the economy will lead to capital accumulation, which in turn will mean poverty reduction,” he said.

He said this happened in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, where billions and billions of dollar are flowing since they welcome foreign investments.

Meanwhile, Robin Michael Garcia, who described himself as an educator and a social scientist conducting lectures here and abroad, spoke specifically on the need for the Philippines to modernize its education system.

He said the lackluster performance of local schools is evidenced by the fact that Philippine universities are at the bottom of 500 globally-ranked universities.

“Their counterparts in some ASEAN countries are in the top 10, top 50,” he said.

Garcia said a lot of brilliant Filipinos go abroad to obtain high-quality education.