The pandemic should not be used as an excuse for politicians to cling to their posts, Senator Franklin Drilon said as he rejected the proposal to defer the 2022 elections if the coronavirus persists.
The senator said he is not surprised with this suggestion from elected officials, but said that this move cannot be used as a de facto term extension.
“The postponement could be a prelude to the main objective of extending the terms of members of Congress and elected officials. But that is not feasible,” he said in an interview.
The Constitution requires a national election every three years, done on the second Monday of May. The next polls must be held on May 9, 2022, ahead of the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year term by June 30 of that year.
“Even if we postpone the election, the terms of the elected officials are set in the Constitution. Unless you amend the Constitution, you cannot extend the terms of the officials,” Drilon added.
Commission on Elections Chairman Sheriff Abas told House members that only Congress and the President can decide on such a proposal.
Drilon emphasized that the Senate will block any proposal that seeks to postpone the national elections.
“I cannot see any justification for the postponement of the national election. We will oppose that vigorously in the Senate. I think the Senators will not be swayed by any argument to allow the postponement of the election,” Drilon said.
