Palace: Duterte not interested in term extension

Malacañang refuted rumors that President Rodrigo Duterte wants to extend his term and other officials amid talks of a charter change proposal in the House of Representatives.

Palace spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. reiterated that Duterte is not interested in staying in power beyond June 2022 which is the end of this term as the President.

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“Wala pong katuturan iyang mga tsismis na iyan (that rumor is nonsense),” Roque said at a news conference. Rumors circulated on social media that the charter change proposal was a measure to extend Duterte’s term until 2025.

“The President has made it clear, wala po siyang kahit anong kagustuhan na manatili ng isang minuto man lang beyond his term of office (he does not have any desire to stay for at least a minute beyond his term of office).”

Roque added the President is focused on the government’s COVID-19 response.

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“Wala pong ibang top priority ang Pangulo kung hindi matapos po itong pandemyang ito sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng bakuna sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

(The President has no other top priority other than ending this pandemic by giving vaccines to our countrymen.)

The Congress committee on constitutional amendments will have a hearing on January 13 to discuss the proposal to amend the “restrictive” economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

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Palace: Duterte not interested in term extension

Two pro-Duterte senators—Senator Bato Dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino— already filed a resolution asking the Congress to convene as a constituent assembly and amend the 1987 Constitution.

The resolution read, “The amendments will be limited to the provisions on democratic representation and the economic provisions of the Constitution.”

“Katungkulan po iyan ng mga mambabatas. That is their sole, exclusive prerogative; nirirespeto po natin iyan,” Roque said.

However, Senator Vicente Sotto III said that Duterte is not after term extension but wants an amendment to the party-list system.

Sotto added Duterte was concerned about party-list lawmakers that are allegedly tied to the communist rebels.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Thursday that plans to revive the deliberation of Charter change in the remaining term of President Rodrigo Duterte will be a “total waste of time.”

“It will be a total waste of time. It won’t fly. Our history tells us that Cha-cha has a zero chance of success in any administration that is already in the home stretch,” Drilon said in a statement.