Palace hopeful that ’16 national elections will not be delayed

MANILA – A Palace official on Monday said the Aquino administration is hopeful that the 2016 national elections will push through as scheduled as this is mandated by law.

Last week, the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) “No bio, No boto” rule, which bars voters without biometrics data with the poll body to vote in next year’s election, after some groups asked the High Court to stop the Comelec from implementing this rule as this is against people’s right of suffrage.

In a briefing Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the 1987 Constitution mandates the holding of a national polls next year.

He also pointed out that “it’s in the interest of everyone concerned, and there is a constitutional requirement that we should vote, that elections should be held in May.”

“…Our only position is we would like the elections to push through, as mandated by the Constitution. So, all the parties – whether the Comelec, whether the Supreme Court, all of them, certainly, will have that interest in mind, that elections must push through and as mandated under the 1987 Constitution,” he said.

Lacierda stressed that President Benigno Aquino III has no plan to extend his term of office beyond June 2016.

He said the President is looking forward “to take his long-delayed break.”

“It’s 206 days left. So we would like to hand over the government to the next administration, whoever the people choose to succeed President Aquino,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Palace executive is elated over the results of a survey that showed an increase in the number of people who believe that President Aquino will be considered a successful president.

“Certainly we thank the public, the respondents or the Filipino people for recognizing that President Aquino will be a successful president,” he said.

Lacierda said success of the current administration is not solely because of the President’s programs but also because of “the people who all invested in making the Philippines a better country.”

“And we’ve invested there. From a mindset of apathy to one of engagement, from a culture of indifference, now we see more people – more people are very engaged in making sure that they are concerned with good governance,” he said.

“At some point and even right now as we speak, they recognize those gains and that’s why they consider President Aquino as a successful president; and that will translate eventually and we believe that it will translate eventually,” he added.