Charter reviewers: Top elected officials must have college degree

The likes of former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Manny Pacquiao will have no place in the proposed federal government.

The consultative committee tasked by President Rodrigo Duterte to introduce changes in the 1987 Constitution has approved the proposal requiring those vying for senior elective posts to have a college diploma or the equivalent academic degree.

In a news briefing on Wednesday, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Eduardo Nachura said the suggested educational requirement would cover those running for President, Vice President, senators and congressmen.

Estrada, now the Manila mayor, is a high school dropout whose popularity as a movie actor became the springboard for his storied political career.

Pacquiao, who failed to complete his secondary education due to poverty, used his boxing fame to punch his way to the Senate. —Marlon Ramos