On top of the continuing political drama taking place at the Senate, a dash of rumored Charter change (Cha-cha) has been added to it by newly installed Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano. A few days after the dramatic Senate leadership change and feared counter ouster plot against him, Cayetano claimed “enticements” of term extension were purportedly being dangled to the senators in the new majority bloc.
But if the proponents are still counting on pushing Cha-cha, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia tells them it cannot be done at this time by any of the three existing modes to amend the country’s 1987 Constitution. At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Garcia warned Cha-cha cannot be done without violating existing laws.
The Comelec Chairman was responding to a purported revival of Cha-cha through a constituent assembly (Con-ass). The two other Cha-cha modes include constitutional convention (Con-con) and collection of signatures for petition of a people’s initiative (PI). Offhand, Garcia cited, the suspension order in accepting PI signatures imposed by the Comelec remains in effect. He refers to the first attempt during the previous Congress-led PI signature gathering but which got blocked at the Senate.
Garcia pointed out there is no provision of necessary budget to conduct a plebiscite. The Comelec chief estimated the poll body needs at least P19 billion to carry out a plebiscite if done simultaneously with an election on the national level. And secondly, he added, the lack of time, even if the holding of the referendum for Cha-cha is synchronized with a slated national election.
The nearest nationwide election will be held on Nov. 2 this year for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE). No wonder there have been initiatives taken by certain lawmakers in the 20th Congress to defer anew the holding of the BSKE. In August 2025, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) signed Republic Act (RA)12232 which postponed the BSKE originally set in December 2025 to the first Monday of November 2026.
As far as the Comelec is concerned, Garcia reiterated the seven-man poll body has been on track preparing for the BSKE. However, he stressed, the Comelec is ready to comply and cooperate with policymakers if they decide to postpone the BSKE. Offhand though, the Comelec chief still frowned upon and publicly advised against the renewed bid to defer the BSKE for the nth time.
Garcia vowed, however, no public funds will be wasted even if the BSKE is postponed again. If it happens, he cited, the Comelec targets to conduct new national registration of voters in February 2027. As a constitutional body, the Comelec took this stand after Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Rep. Albee Benitez first called for a six-month postponement of the BSKE due to the crisis caused by tensions in the Middle East.
The Senate version to defer the BSKE on the same ground was filed by presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos, who proposed to hold it in October 2027. Speaking of Sen. Imee, she confirmed alleged sinister plots to revive Cha-cha by political allies of her brother as the real reason behind the supposed attempts to stop Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from reporting back for duty at the Senate.
“It turns out that Bato was only the beginning of the entire story. More importantly, they really wanted to change and get back the leadership of the Senate because there was so much at stake, nakapusta na pala dun ang con-ass,” Sen. Imee charged.
“Kasi ang problema nila, matatalo sa impeachment sa Senado, mananalo pa si VP Sara sa 2028, eh di tepok na sila,” she further claimed.
According to Sen. Imee, the con-ass plot is to change the Constitution “by adding three years more to the term of present congressmen and to extend the term even of the President until 2031, and no elections except perhaps for local positions.” The other alternative, she added, is to raise the age of the presidency from the present 45 years old to 50 years old “so that VP Sara will be disqualified.”
“So this is really a very high stakes game. It has little or nothing to do with Bato. He appears to be just a sidelight. Galit ang Pilipino sa term extension. Ayaw natin ng No-El. Bakit natin pipilitin na naman ito? This (Cha-cha) has lost time and time again,” Sen. Imee fumed.
Before her disclosures though, known political strategist Lito Banayo revealed in a TV interview last week about the alleged Con-ass plot. Banayo claimed the Con-ass was taken up “in a meeting at the new center of political gravity of this country, which is a casino/resort hotel facing Manila Bay.” Purportedly present at that “meeting” were leaders of the 20th Congress who included Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela and one of his House deputies he could not recall, former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and erstwhile Senate secretary-general Mark Leandro Mendoza. The dinner meeting notably took place before Cayetano ousted Sotto and Mendoza had not resigned yet following the Senate coup.
“What was discussed, what was on the table was the move to constitute a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution. And apparently from my source, the timetable is immediately after the SONA,” Banayo claimed.
“If the Senate president (Sotto then) and the Speaker deny that this meeting happened, then I will be forced to reveal who my source is,” he swore.
Sotto confirmed indeed he was at this dinner meeting in East Ocean restaurant where he was invited to sit down with Speaker Dy. “The idea (Cha-cha) was brought out by the Speaker,” Sotto clarified. “He (Banayo) should have asked his source if I agreed because I simply said I will ask my (Senate) colleagues what they think of the idea,” Sotto countered.
“Yan ang mahirap sa lipat kwento, hindi kumpleto,” he shot back.
Apparently, Cayetano initially picked up the same alleged con-ass information and which was validated by Sen. Imee.