MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said on Monday, February 26, that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the plebiscite on economic charter change to be done alongside the 2025 midterm elections.

“Alam mo si Presidente, to be very honest, binanggit niya po kanina ‘yan. Mas gusto niya na magkaroon ng plebiscite in the 2025 elections,” Zubiri told reporters when asked about Congress’ deadline for charter change deliberations.

(You know, to be very honest, the President mentioned that in our meeting. He prefers to have the plebiscite in the 2025 elections.)

The Senate President said that some senators met with Marcos to discuss various issues, including proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution. He added that the President said that if the plebiscite would be done before the elections, it would cost the government P12 billion to P14 billion.

Referring to the deliberations on the Resolution of Both Houses No. 6, Zubiri said: “Hindi pa namin maitatapos po ito ng March. Kasi we have only three weeks left. Ang dami pa naming iti-take up na mga mahalagang measures. But definitely, continuous ang hearing.”

(We will not finish it this March because we only have three weeks left. We still have a lot of important issues to take up. But definitely, the hearing continues.)

At the lower house, lawmakers began discussing their own resolution proposing amendments in the charter. Both the Senate’s RBH No. 6 and the House’s RBH No. 7 will propose similar economic amendments. The two differ though in one contentious line, in the part that says “each House vote separately” on the amendments.

With the President’s preference for the May 2025 plebiscite, Zubiri said that there was no reason for the Senate to finish its deliberations in March.

“We can take this up after the break,” he said.

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