No-el decision needed by Oct.

Congress should decide whether or not to postpone next year’s elections before the October deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said as he shot down suggestions that the Federalism bid be deferred until after the polls.

Alvarez said in a radio interview anti-federalism forces are capitalizing on unfounded fears against his proposal to scrap the mid-term elections in 2019 to serve their goal of derailing the passage of a new charter.

He said if the election pushes through, Congress will have a narrow window to work on for the shift to a Federal system of government. Unless the charter change (cha-cha) is done by 2019, the goal of Federalism may become very difficult to achieve, he added.

Alvarez said the nation may squander the opportunity of having a President determined to undertake Federalism.

Among the candidates in the 2016 presidential elections it was only President Rodrigo Duterte who advocated a shift to a federal form of government.

As it is, with the national elections next year, the Duterte administration would have a little over two years remaining in his term which is not enough to approve a new charter and allow a proper transition period to the new federal government, Alvarez said.

Congress needed to attend first to the proposed 2019 budget then it is confronted with the October deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy of re-electionist lawmakers.

Alvarez said after this, Congress will have a Christmas break two months later and the campaign period starts by February next year.

“There is simply no time for Congress to tackle the proposed Federal Charter, if we delay it further, we would not be able to do it until the end of the term of President Duterte,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez noted those against the move to change the form of government know very well that it will not be possible to implement after the 2019 elections.

Postponing the May 2019 mid-term polls is the best option to give lawmakers enough time to subject the various drafts of a federal charter to study and extensive debates, according to him.

“We need to focus on this. So, for example, if we decide to cancel the elections in 2019, we would tackle first the NEP (National Expenditure Program) and then after that we would immediately discuss that (cha-cha). We would not do any other thing except to discuss that (proposed federal charter),” Alvarez said.

The 2019 polls may be scrapped through a law passed by Congress but if the Senate would not agree, Alvarez said another option is for supporters of federalism to launch a People’s Initiative.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.