Six of 10 Filipinos think President Duterte’s vice presidential bid in the 2022 elections violates the intent of the Constitution, results of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.
The survey, conducted from June 23 to 26, found 60 percent of adult Filipinos saying, “the proposal that President Rodrigo Duterte should run for vice president in the 2022 election violates the intention of the Constitution, which should first be amended before he may run for office again.”
On the other hand, 39 percent of Filipinos think Duterte should pursue the vice presidency in 2022 because they liked how he managed the government.
The Constitution states: “The President shall not be eligible for any re-election. No person who has succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the same office at any time.”
Duterte’s vice presidential bid is seen by several lawmakers as a loophole for him to return to power beyond his presidency that will end in 2022.
Reacting to the SWS survey results, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte would listen to the public’s sentiments regarding his vice presidential bid.
However, Roque said Duterte stood by the legality of his possible 2022 run.
“Abogado rin naman ang presidente at siguro ang importante ay iyong mga abogado ay magkaroon ng kaniya-kaniyang mga opinyon. At sa tingin niya hindi po ‘yan labag sa Saligang Batas kasi wala pong expressed na prohibition and therefore it is allowed,” he said in a Palace briefing.
“Pero masasabi ko lang po, sensitibo po ang Presidente sa pulso ng taumbayan. ‘Antayin na lang po natin ang kaniyang pinal na desisyon,” he added.
Duterte said he would run for vice president to ensure the continuity of his administration’s projects.
Duterte, who is the Philippines’ oldest president in history, turned 76 this year. Should he win the vice presidency next year, he would also become the oldest vice president in the history of the country. John Ezekiel J. Hirro