LP stalwarts deny party caucus on charter change, term extension

Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Liberal Party (LP) stalwarts denied reports that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had asked lawmakers’ support to amend the constitution in a bid to lift term limits and give President Aquino a shot for reelection.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said the party has not done formal or informal talks on its position about the move to amend the charter’s term limits.

A news report said Roxas, the LP president-on-leave, had called a party caucus to ask for lawmakers’ support. Reportedly not invited were Gonzales and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who has been pushing amendments to the constitution on economic, not political, provisions.
“In so far as Liberal Party is concerned, the last time that we met was during our regular breakfast. I think first Monday of August, and there has been no other meeting that we are aware of na ipinatawag sa Balay o whether formally or informally to talk about political charter change,” Gonzales said.

He also denied speculations that Aquino only became open to amending the charter to allow him reelection supposedly because the de facto LP bet Roxas is faring poorly in the ratings.

“Huwag niyo naman maliitin na wala kaming kandidato. Ang dami naming kandidato (Don’t belittle us that we don’t have candidates. We have many candidates),” Gonzales said.

For his part, Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, who first floated the idea of amending the charter to allow Aquino reelection, also denied that such a party caucus occurred.

“That’s an intrigue. (There’s) no such thing,” said Erice, who has mulled filing a bill to amend the term limits of the charter.

Aquino said in an interview on Channel 5 that he was now open to amending the constitution only to clip the powers of the Supreme Court, which has collided with the executive over its decision to scrap some practices of Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

But when asked about his being open to second term, Aquino only said he has to listen to the clamor of his “bosses.”

Aquino made the surprise move of being open to charter change even as the Constitution was crafted under the presidency of his late mother Corazon Aquino after she had toppled the Marcos regime.

Moves to amend the charter in the past had failed in the House as it was seen as a political tool to extend the term limits of officials.