MANILA, Philippines — Congress will not have enough time to tackle proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution, Malacañang said, days after an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for a longer term for the chief executive and other officials.
Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. (Pampanga), a member of the PDP-Laban faction composed of Duterte's allies, is seeking to amend the charter to allow the president, the vice president, members of the House of Representatives, and elective local officials to serve for five years with one reelection.
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He proposed that the changes in the constitution be made through a constituent assembly.
At present, the president can only have one six-year term without reelection.
In a statement issued last Sunday, Gonzales claimed that a six-year term is "too short for a good president, especially if he is confronted with a crippling crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic."
"There is an upcoming election in May 2022 and I think Congress has no time for this proposal," Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Historically, attendance in Congress — particularly at the House — has suffered as elections near because lawmakers tend to focus on their election campaigns.
"At isa pa, mayroon tayong mas mabigat na laban — at ito po iyong laban against COVID-19 (Besides, we have a big fight and this fight is against COVID-19)," Nograles added.
Under Gonzales' proposal, the president and the vice president will be elected in tandem to "strengthen the political party system and ensure that the top two officials of the land are one in leading the nation."
If tandem voting is adopted, a vote for the president would be a vote for the vice president belonging to the same political party.
Gonzales — representative of Pampanga's 3rd District since 2013 — also suggested giving House lawmakers a five-year term with one reelection, claiming that the three-year term for the members of the chamber is very short.
The 1987 Constitution gives House members a three-year term with two possible reelections.