Alvarez calls for abolition of term limits
SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte has called for the abolition of term limits to renew his push for Charter Change in opening of the Third Regular Session of Congress on Monday.
Alvarez said that while he was amenable to the anti-dynasty provision in the proposed federal constitution, it should come with an amendment to remove term limits to give the electorate a free hand to choose their leaders.
“I have manifested, and made public, that I am amenable to an anti-political dynasty provision as proposed by the Consultative Committee draft. However, I have also made it clear, based on my personal studies and consultation with peers, that political-dynasties proliferated because of the unintended effects of imposing term limits,” Alvarez said.
“Let’s push for the self-executory anti-political dynasty provision, so that family members won’t be forced to run for public office if they don’t want to, para rin wala nang pipilitin, but I propose that term limits be removed,” Alvarez said.
Under the 1987 Constitution, members of the House of Representatives and the rest of local officials are only allowed to occupy their posts for three consecutive three-year terms. Senators and the Vice President are allowed to be elected in two consecutive six-year terms, while the President is not eligible for reelection.
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo said that the anti-dynasty provision under the proposed federal charter is not reformist since it exempts the sitting President and Vice President from its anti-political dynasty provision as confirmed by Constitutional Commission panel member and professor Julio Teehankee of de La Salle University during the July 16 Senate hearing on Charter Change.
The draft federal constitution states that national government officials—which only cover the President and Vice President—can run with their respective child, wife/husband or grandchild for a national and local post in the same election.
“If you exempt the President and Vice President from the anti-political dynasty provision, that would be just as wrong,” Robredo said in her weekly radio show on Sunday.
The Duterte administration is envisioning a federal government by establishing independent regions each with the authority to manage its resources and craft its laws, including taxation, but the proponents have yet to agree on how to divide the country’s existing 17 regions. Under the federal set up, each region or federal state will retain 80 to 85 percent of their locally generated income while the remaining 15 to 20 percent will be subsidized by the national government thru Internal Revenue Allotment. LLANESCA T. PANTI
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