LP to launch Charter change initiative on term limits

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice: Political reform bill. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Liberal Party will kick off its Charter change initiative next week to give President Aquino option of a second term if a substantial number of voters clamored for it.

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said he would file a bill seeking major political reforms to complement pending Charter change bills advocating reforms in foreign equity ownership in restricted investment areas.

Erice said his bill would amend the single, six-year term limit for the President and replace it with a double four-year term with reelection.

Erice said the voting would be for both the President and Vice President as a team similar to the American system of balloting instead of separately where the President and Vice President could be from rival parties.

Erice said the terms of senators and representatives would also be revised to a maximum of three 4-year terms. At present, a senator could be elected to two six-year terms while a representative could be elected to three three-year terms.

“The vice president would be barred from holding any Cabinet position but would automatically be head of the Senate,” Erice said.

Erice said he was emboldened to file a political reform bill in response to the President Aquino’s declaration that he was open to lifting term limits and running for a second term in office if his “bosses” asked him to.

“There is a strong clamor for the President to continue his reforms through a second term in office. We believe that this can be done,” said Erice.

At the Senate, however, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III said President Aquino had not issued any marching orders to LP members to push for Charter change.

“There’s none at all,” Guingona said in an interview amid reports that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas was rallying House party members to back Charter change.

In an exclusive interview with TV5, Aquino had expressed openness to amending the Constitution possibly to lift the president’s six-year term and address the judicial overreach.

His comments immediately drew flak and were met with threats of mass protests and suits.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte clarified on Friday the President was only interested in restoring the balance among the three branches of government, but would not push for Charter change during the remainder of his term.

The President was expressing his thoughts on Charter change in the context of the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling voiding the administration’s stimulus program, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, Valte said.

Malacañang also distanced itself from moves by administration lawmakers to go ahead with amending the Constitution.

Guingona said he and fellow LP members Senate President Franklin Drilon, Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Paolo Benigno Aquino had not met on the matter of amending the Constitution.

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