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- Palace says that it’s “never an option” to postpone the May 2022 elections.
- Rep. Mikey Arroyo said that the reason behind his proposal is that Filipinos may be scared to vote because of COVID-19.
Malacanang rejected Pampanga 2nd District Representative Mikey Arroyo’s suggestion to postpone the 2022 national elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday that the coronavirus should not be used as a reason to reschedule the elections as the public will not have positive reactions.
“We must not use the existing global health crisis as a ground to cancel and reschedule the elections as this would not sit well with the public,” he said in a statement.
He also added that any plan to postpone the May 2022 elections would be a challenge for the Supreme Court as the 1987 Constitution states that elections are meant to take place on the second Monday of May that year.
“The holding of elections is a public service that the government must ensure to deliver. The idea to postpone the 2022 elections, if and when it happens, presents constitutional challenges.”
Roque said that the government has enough time to prepare for the voting season.
“The national election is still two years away and we still have sufficient time to prepare. We can learn from the examples of other countries, such as the United States, which will be holding an election later this year, on how they conduct polls during COVID-19 pandemic.”
Celebrities such as Nikki Valdez, Pia Magalona, Jason Abalos, and Gretchen Ho also reacted to Arroyo’s proposal.
On Monday, Roque again mentioned that the postponement is “never an option” for the current administration.
“The President is not interested in extending his term and he leaves it to the Filipino people, the sovereign people, to decide if they want to amend the Constitution to postpone the elections.”
Arroyo initially stated that the reason behind his suggestion is that the constituents may be scared to vote due to possible exposition to COVID-19.
“Because I’ve been hearing in my district, the businessmen, the old people, they’re saying maybe they would not just vote because they’re scared to vote during that day. That’s just food for thought, Mr. Chair. The Comelec may choose to answer that or not.”
