MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, March 27, insisted that President Rodrigo Duterte has no desire to extend his rule under the proposed federal form of government.
"The President has expressed that he has no intention of staying a minute longer than what the term of the President provides under our Constitution," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.
Roque made the assurance anew after former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, who chairs the Constitutional Commission that is reviewing the 1987 Constitution, said Monday, March 26, that Duterte cannot seek a term extension under the proposed federal state.
Puno said the six-year term limit provided by the 1987 Constitution would still apply to Duterte, even if a federal system is implemented during his term.
"The term limit in the 1987 Constitution holds," Puno said. "As of now, the prohibitions and term limits under the 1987 Constitution would still be binding."
Under the 1987 Constitution, a sitting president can only stay in office for a maximum of six years and cannot seek reelection.
Duterte, whose six-year term will end in 2022, has repeatedly said that he was willing to give up the highest position in the land, if a new federal state pushes through.
Roque echoed Duterte's pronouncement, saying that the President would even step down as early as 2020, as long as the country transitions to a federal set-up.
"The President has even stated that he would step down from the presidency earlier, should the Philippines shift to a federal system of government as early as 2020," the presidential spokesman said. (VoxPop Philippines)
