Sotto retracts 2019 ‘no-el’ statement
Senate President Vicente Sotto III maintained Friday that the 2019 midterm elections cannot be postponed merely by legislation if members of Congress intend to extend their terms to have more time taking up the proposed Charter change and shift to federalism.
Sotto issued the clarification after he said on Thursday that Congress can possibly pass a law that would hold off the national and local elections, reverting to his original statement dismissing a “no-election” scenario in 2019.
The Senate chief said only the date of the election may be changed by law as stated in Section 8, Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution.
“However, if the amended date will be set beyond the term of office provided by law, those members of the Congress (both Houses) whose term ends at noon of June 30 cannot have a holdover capacity. Thus, their term of office cannot be extended as an ef-
fect of the law changing the date of the election,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters.
“If the intention of changing the date of election is to extend the term of
office of the members of both Houses to afford them time to change the Charter, federalism, then amendment to the Constitution must be made,” he added.
Sotto, when specifically asked about the proposed postponement of the 2019 elections, said it will be “unlikely.”
Sotto added he is still unaware of his fellow senators’ view toward the planned revision of the Constitution to pave way for the government’s transition to federalism.
Sotto said he has yet to get the pulse of fellow senators on whether or not they would tackle the draft federal constitution handed to them by the Consultative Commission Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri had admitted that many of the majority senators are still cold to Charter change.
Although some members of the minority are supposedly open to amending its provisions, Zubiri doubted that they will favor an overhaul of the present Charter.