Let Rody run again as president - Alvarez

Inspired by Donald Trump's reelection as US president, Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez wants his friend, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to run again and be reelected as president in 2028.

- DELON PORCALLA

"Let him run. Let the people decide and if there is a legal issue, let the courts resolve it," Alvarez said in a statement.

A provision in the 1987 Constitution limits presidents to one fixed six-year term without reelection.

The provision is an offshoot of the dictatorship of the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who perpetuated himself in power for 20 years until his ouster in 1986.

"The President shall not be eligible for any reelection," the Constitution states.

But Alvarez, whom Duterte backed as House speaker in mid-2016 until he was ousted in July 2018, believes the prohibition refers only to consecutive presidential terms.

"It refers to the sitting or incumbent president not allowed for reelection," he stated.

"That shouldn't apply to our former president because he is no longer incumbent. He can still run as president. As you can see, lawmakers grilled the ex-president for 13 long hours, but he still ended up strong. His heart is in the right place," Alvarez said, referring to the quad committee's investigation on Duterte's drug war.

The presidential reelection issue was raised before the Supreme Court in 2010 when former president Joseph Estrada, following a presidential pardon for his September 2007 conviction for plunder, joined the May 2010 presidential race, wherein he finished second to Benigno Aquino III.

But the high tribunal left the question hanging, saying the issue had been rendered moot with Aquino's victory.