MALACAÑANG said on Wednesday the midterm elections would push through in 2019 as scheduled unless the Constitution was amended.
The Palace issued the statement through Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr., who told a press conference: “The President always looks to the Constitution as his guiding document. The Constitution sets the date for the next elections in 2019. So unless the Constitution is amended ahead of the 2019 elections, it will have to push through.”
“The role of the President is to implement the Constitution and the law. As I said, it is the Constitution that sets when the next election is. The law required of Congress for election purposes will only enable the spending of public funds in that regard,” he added.
Roque issued the statement following pronouncements by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in a television interview early Wednesday that there would be no need for mid-term elections in 2019 if there would be a shift to a federal form of government from the current presidential system.
Moreover, the President’s term could be extended because of changes to the Constitution.
“Anything is possible. You know why? Let’s be practical. If you shift into a different form of government – unitary to a federal – you need a transition government. You cannot approve [federalism]by May [of this year]and implement it immediately,” Alvarez said in an interview on the ABS-CBN News Channel.
Alvarez said that the proposal could be submitted to a plebiscite and if the public would agree, there would be no elections in 2019.
Senate President Aquino Pimentel 3rd said Congress could extend the term of the President only if it was necessary, and if the President was amenable to it.
“Since that extension will be part of the new constitution, the new constitution is approved by the people themselves,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel also said the scheduled 2019 mid-term elections would still push through even if Congress managed to come up with the new constitution this year.
“What is important are the transitory provisions that will govern the terms and duties of those elected and the last election under the 1987 Constitution,” he said.
The Palace issued the statement through Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr., who told a press conference: “The President always looks to the Constitution as his guiding document. The Constitution sets the date for the next elections in 2019. So unless the Constitution is amended ahead of the 2019 elections, it will have to push through.”
“The role of the President is to implement the Constitution and the law. As I said, it is the Constitution that sets when the next election is. The law required of Congress for election purposes will only enable the spending of public funds in that regard,” he added.
Roque issued the statement following pronouncements by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez in a television interview early Wednesday that there would be no need for mid-term elections in 2019 if there would be a shift to a federal form of government from the current presidential system.
Moreover, the President’s term could be extended because of changes to the Constitution.
“Anything is possible. You know why? Let’s be practical. If you shift into a different form of government – unitary to a federal – you need a transition government. You cannot approve [federalism]by May [of this year]and implement it immediately,” Alvarez said in an interview on the ABS-CBN News Channel.
Alvarez said that the proposal could be submitted to a plebiscite and if the public would agree, there would be no elections in 2019.
Senate President Aquino Pimentel 3rd said Congress could extend the term of the President only if it was necessary, and if the President was amenable to it.
“Since that extension will be part of the new constitution, the new constitution is approved by the people themselves,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel also said the scheduled 2019 mid-term elections would still push through even if Congress managed to come up with the new constitution this year.
“What is important are the transitory provisions that will govern the terms and duties of those elected and the last election under the 1987 Constitution,” he said.
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