Cha-cha not for lifting term limits — Solons

Photo by Robert Viñas / PCOO

MANILA — Several lawmakers urged representatives coming from the Liberal Party to drop plans of extending the President’s term by introducing amendments to the Constitution.

“Our Constitution provides for one term without reelection.

That’s it,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. told reporters.

The statement was made following a movement of pro-administration lawmakers to push for Charter change and extend Aquino’s term to six years.

Belmonte added that the current legislation seeking to amend several provisions in the constitution has nothing to do with extending the president’s term.

The pending bill in the House only seeks to amend provisions involving the restrictions in the economic provisions that may attract foreign direct investment.

“This is just a simple change. The door (to investments) is still locked and we have to provide a legal key. I suppose all the countries around us in fact have always been ahead in the area of foreign direct investments, so we really have to start thinking about what we should do,” he earlier told reporters.

Meanwhile, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, leader of the so-called independent bloc said in a Philippine Star report that the president is throwing away his principles, suppose he allows his term be extended. 

“Should the President support call for his second term, it means he disregarded his own principle because of the desire to stay in power,” Romualdez said.