FACT CHECK: Senators not the only Filipinos eligible to run for President, VP

Claim: Senators are the only individuals eligible to run for president or vice president of the Philippines.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook video bearing the claim, posted on January 29 by the page “Pilipinas” with over 758,000 followers, has gained 413,000 views, 5,900 reactions, 461 comments, and over 1,100 shares as of writing.

The video talks about the supposed reasons why senators opposed the House of Representatives’ push for charter change through a people’s initiative. 

It claimed that senators have a 12-year term and are the only candidates eligible to run for president and vice president in national elections.

The facts: Senators are not the only individuals eligible to contend for the top two highest posts in the country.

Article VII, Sections 2 and 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that an individual who is a natural-born Filipino citizen, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least 40 years old on election day, and a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years preceding the election, are eligible to run for the positions of president and vice president.

Contrary to the claim, the Constitution does not require anyone to have prior senatorial experience before running for office. Take for example former president Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who served as mayors of Davao City before pursuing the two highest executive positions in the country.

Terms of office: Senators have a six-year term, not 12 years, according to Article VI, Section 4 of the Constitution. 

Senators are prohibited from serving more than two consecutive terms. Voluntarily stepping down from the position for any length of time is not considered an interruption in the continuity of their service for the entire elected term.

Charter change: The video was uploaded amid the rift between the two houses of Congress over talks on amending the 1987 Constitution. 

House lawmakers have expressed support for charter change through a people’s initiative, which has been marred by allegations of bribery and corruption. Senators, meanwhile, rejected the supposed people’s initiative as a “brazen attempt to violate the Constitution.” – Jerry Yubal Jr./Rappler.com

Jerry Yubal Jr. is a campus journalist from the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City Main Campus. The executive editor of Amaranth, he is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.

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