Alvarez now says 2019 polls pushing through

Bea Cupin

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Alvarez now says 2019 polls pushing through

Ronel H. Pelovello

The House Speaker had earlier expressed openness to cancelling the mid-term elections

MANILA, Philippines – House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez backtracked on his earlier proposal to cancel the 2019 mid-term elections as part of preparations for the planned shift to a federal form of government.

In an interview on dzBB Thursday, January 25, Alvarez said the 2019 elections would push through. He had earlier expressed being open to the cancellation of the polls.

Alvarez presented a timeline wherein the plebiscite for proposed amendments to the Constitution would take place in May 2018, alongside the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

The House Speaker had wanted Congress to begin the formal process to amend the Constitution through Constituent Assembly by January 2018. Alvarez has since conceded that the timeline may be too tight, and has now floated the possibility of moving the plebiscite to May 2019 instead.

On Wednesday evening, Alvarez and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas met with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III to settle differences over how Congress will proceed to amend the Constitution.

President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies have been pushing for a shift to federalism, arguing that this would improve equity in the distribution of resources and power in the country. – Rappler.com

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Bea Cupin

Bea is a senior multimedia reporter who covers national politics. She's been a journalist since 2011 and has written about Congress, the national police, and the Liberal Party for Rappler.