term limits | The Adobo Chronicles

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino has officially declared his candidacy for reelection — in 2022. His announcement came during a press conference while on a state visit to Japan.

Under the current constitution, Aquino is barred from seeking reelection after his 6-year-term expires in 2016. However, he says his comrades in Congress are about to introduce and approve a constitutional amendment that would lift the presidential term limit.

“But first, I want to take a 6-year hiatus to focus on my personal life. I hope to be able to find the right woman to be my wife within that time period. “I want to return to Malacañang (the presidential palace) with a First Lady, ” Aquino said. He also added that waiting for 6 years will make him more mature than he is now.

This would not be the first time that a president will seek reelection after being termed out. However, it will be the first bid to reclaim the same termed-out presidency. Former President Joseph Estrada ran again and won as city mayor of Manila while former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ran and won as a congresswoman representing her district in the province of Pampanga.

CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas

Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Contrary to widespread public perception, Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino has a Ferdinand E. Marcos-like brilliant mind, capable of authoring a grand design that could lead to his becoming a lifetime head of state.

Under the constitution, Aquino is limited to a six-year term as president, ending in 2016. But he has come to enjoy his presidency so much and the power that comes with the office.

So, he has urged his allies in the Philippine Congress to immediately convene a constitutional convention, the only legitimate process to amend the law of the land.

Aquino is proposing two major amendments to the Philippine Constitution:

Lift the term limit for the president, suggesting that an elected president can run for as many reelections, six-year terms at a time.
Create a fourth branch of government in addition to the Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The fourth branch would be the Catholic Church, to be headed by the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Aquino said that creating a fourth branch would prevent potential clashes among the existing three branches. “The fourth branch will act as mediator, and who is in a better position to do that than the CBCP,” he added.

Back to Aquino’s brilliant mind, the head of the CBCP, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, is known to be a very close ally and adviser to the president. In other words, Aquino can be assured that CBCP will always align with him in all conflict. His continued reelection will also be assured, considering the great influence of the Church among voters in this predominantly Catholic country.