Filipino voters would still have to go out to vote in a plebiscite before the 2022 national and local elections could be postponed.
On Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) explained resetting the date of the upcoming polls requires amending a provision of the Constitution to allow the extension of the terms of the incumbent elected officials beyond June 30, 2022.
“To amend the [said provision in the] Constitution, the proposal should come from two-thirds of congressmen and senators. Another hurdle, is it will require a plebiscite,” Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas said in a television interview with PTV.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said this will defeat the purpose of the proposal to reset the date of the 2022 elections.
“You’re gonna hold an election [plebiscite] to postpone an election. It will probably be ironic in that way,” Jimenez said.
Aside from term extension, Abas explained Congress must also pass the necessary law to change the date of the May 2022 elections since it will include the positions for president and vice president.
Sought for his comment on the matter, Malacañang said it will let Congress and the people decide if they want the next polls to push through or not.
“The President is not interested in extending his term. And he leaves it to the Filipino people, the sovereign people to decide if they want to amend the Constitution to postpone the elections,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in an online news briefing.
Under the Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution, such polls should be held every second Monday of May “unless otherwise provided by law.”
Last week, Pampanga Second District Rep. Mikey Arroyo proposed postponing the next elections due to concerns that Covid-19 could still be spread during the elections.
Abas said they are still continuing their preparations for the 2022 polls on the assumption that it will push through but he said they are not ruling out the possibility that it could still be deferred.
Comelec asked Congress to raise its proposed P14-billion budget next year to P30 billion so it could prepare the necessary contingencies for the 2022 polls, including requiring the filing of Certificate of Candidacy online, increasing the voting venues as well as the day to vote.
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