House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro on Sunday said there should be a “free discussion” with stakeholders on the bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund.

In an interview with dzBB, Castro question the need for the House to “rush” the passage of House Bill 6398, which establishes the Maharlika Investment Fund.

“This bill was suddenly added ito the LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) bills. It was added to the urgent bills that is being pushed by the Executive. The objective is kind of dubious. Why are they rushing the passage?” Castro said.

“Why didn’t they invite the stakeholders for a more free discussion? Let’s discuss the pros and cons of this. Because only the executives of GSIS, SSS, DPB, Landbank and those under (Department of) Finance were able to have a discussion on this,” she added.

Castro said that the House Ways and Means Committee will have a meeting with pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS), but it would be more of a “briefing” rather than a consultation.

“That’s why we requested to have a meeting on Monday. To be able to discuss this. But we don’t think it’s enough. If they House leaders will rush this, the Makabayan and minority bloc are ready to interpellate it on the plenary,” Castro said.

The Maharlika Investment Fund will get its resources from government financial institutions.

HB 6398 was authored by President Ferdinand Marcos’ cousin Speaker Martin Romualdez and his son Ferdinand Alexander Marcos as well as four other lawmakers.

It was filed on Monday and has been approved on the committee level by the House Banks and Intermediaries panel.

The Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to tackle the bill on Monday. Jaspearl Tan/DMS