Malacañang on Tuesday said that Congress had no more time to discuss the proposal to extend the term limits of the president, vice president, congressmen and other local officials.
In a virtual presser, acting Palace spokesman Karlo Nograles said that the Congress was better off focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic.
“May paparating na eleksiyon sa May 2022 at sa palagay ko wala nang oras ang Kongreso sa panukalang ito. At isa pa, mayroon tayong mas mabigat na laban – at ito po iyong laban against Covid-19,” Nograles said.
Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. earlier filed a proposal that sought to extend the terms of certain public officials, claiming the current term limits were “too short.”
“A six-year tenure is too short for a good president, especially if he is confronted with a crippling crisis like Covid-19 pandemic, which continues to wreak havoc on our health and economy and whose end is not yet in sight,” he said.
“It may take more than one presidency before the nation can fully recover from this catastrophe,” he added.
The 1987 Constitution prohibits the re-election of the president. The vice president meanwhile may be elected to two consecutive six-year terms. John Ezekiel J. Hirro