Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) –  Article 7, Section 2 of the Constitution of the Philippines provides that in order to serve as president, one must be at least 40 years old and above; a registered voter, single or married; able to read and write; male or female Filipino citizen by birth; and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding election.

Based on the country’s consistent and recent experience, a new eligibility requirement has been proposed by Senator Nancy Binay who has sought an amendment to the Constitution.

Binay is proposing a new Section 2A which would read:

“In addition to the eligibility requirements as provided for in Section 2 above, candidates for president must have been charged, convicted, indicted or jailed  for criminal offense that includes but is not limited to graft and corruption, plunder, fraud and violation of the public trust.”

It is common knowledge that the two presidents who preceded NoyNoy Aquino have both been convicted or indicted for crimes committed while in office. Joseph Estrada was convicted, jailed and later pardoned by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who in turn is now under hospital arrest for a criminal offense.

Now, Senator Bong Revilla, Jr. has just been jailed for his role in the pork barrel scam that defrauded taxpayers of Ten Billion pesos. In a statement following his arrest, Revilla said nothing will stop him from running for president in 2016 . “Who knows, I could be the first president elected while in prison,” he told reporters.

Binay’s proposal seems to have the support of a majority of senators and congressmen, many of whom have also been implicated in the pork barrel scam.