Palace adviser calls for political Charter amendments

MANILA, Philippines — A disbarred lawyer and adviser of President Marcos is pushing for “political amendments” in the 1987 Constitution, with eight suggested political reforms that include extending the term limits of all elected government officials.

Secretary Lorenzo Gadon from the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation went to the office of Speaker Martin Romualdez to have his official letter, dated April 1, received. He also furnished a copy to the office of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

“I don’t want to say that he (Marcos) would be eating his words, but I think this is the time that I hope he will come to the realization that the political provisions must also be amended,” he told reporters.

“It’s my political right and under the freedom of expression, it is also my right to suggest. The only thing I can do at this point is to make a suggestion. It’s not even a proposal because I am not a member of Congress. And I’m sure that some minds will be open to these suggestions,” Gadon said.

Gadon clarified that he was doing this not as a presidential adviser, but as a “Filipino citizen,” although the letterhead he used bore his office address inside “Malacañang Palace,” complete with his title and official government website.

The Chief Executive has repeatedly stated he will only support economic Charter change, which the House leadership under Romualdez has been pursuing, and which the Senate – under Zubiri’s authorship of Resolution of Both Houses 6 – has also been deliberating on since February.

Suggestions

In his two-page letter, Gadon enumerated eight political reforms, the first of which is to “extend the term of local officials from three to six years per term.”

The six-year terms of the President, Vice President and senators should be kept, “with no possibility of re-election.” Existing constitutional provisions on succession, according to him, should be retained.

He gave the term extensions an entry with his third suggestion, stating “the extended term should take effect in the 2028 national elections, ensuring that local officials who have served the present three consecutive terms cannot run in 2028, but may do so in subsequent national elections.”

The fourth suggestion indicated government should “introduce a more feasible process of recall election to hold non-performing, incompetent and corrupt local officials accountable.”

Gadon also wanted to increase the number of senators from the current crop of 24 to 48 “to enhance efficiency.”

Sixth is the “transitioning from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government, with the Prime Minister position shared by the Senate President and Speaker.”

Seventh is the designation of the “President as Head of State, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and head of foreign relations.”

“The President and Vice President should be elected as a single team, with the VP assisting the President,” read the seventh suggestion.

The eighth point delved on “reverting ownership, management and control of public utilities like power and water, with a transition plan compensating private companies fairly.”