Rama, Not in Favor of Binay’s Plan to Lift Term Limit of Elected Officials

The plan of Vice President Jejomar Binay to work for the lifting of the term limit of all elected public officials once he will become the next president after the 2016 presidential elections has drew mixed reactions from the local chief executives in Cebu.

Even Mayor Michael Rama, Binay’s partymate in Cebu City and regional coordinator of the United Nationalist Alliace (UNA) in Central Visayas, said he is not in favor of completely lifting the term limit of the elected officials.

The term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms that an official may serve in a particular elected office. The Constitution provides that the term of the president and the vice president is six years without reelection.

Section 8, Article X of the 1986 Constitution provides that the term of office of elective local officials, except for barangay officials, shall be three years and no such official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms.

The three-term limit rule (9 years) was reiterated in Section 43(b) of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

Rama and Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella have the same idea that while they are against to the total lifting of the term limit, but they have suggested that the term of the president should be four years and they are eligible for one reelection.

“Angay’ng hatagan og higayon ang mga batan-on, ang mga bag-o nga adunay kinaadman ug kasingkasing nga moserbisyo. Kun walay term limit mura’g ang mahitabo mo-perpetuate lang hinuon sila sa puwesto for life ug dili kini maayo,” said Labella.

Former congressman Tomas R. Osmeña, an ally of the Liberal Party, is also against to the plan of Binay. “Sama ni Binay mismo sa Makati, ang issue IT or ila tanan, mayor, vice mayor, congressman, vice president.”

Osmeña recalled that he himself did not consumed his third term as city mayor in 1994 and allowed then Vice Mayor Alvin Garcia to run for mayor.

“I am against to lift the term limit, we should give others a chance,” Osmeña added.

For his part, Talisay City Mayor Johny V. Delos Reyes said “Okay lang na kun buotan ang mayor, apan kun salbahis ang mayor maoy inantos sa mga tawo. Bisan og mayor pa ko karon unya moingon nga dili na ko ilisan, di ko uy, dili ko kaagwanta ana.”

De Los Reyes said a good public official could already implement several projects for their constituents in five to six years in office.

“Ang pagka mayor krus na nga imong gipas-an, unya dili ka gusto nga tangtangon na gikan sa imong abaga? Maayo lang na sa mga tawo nga hakog sa gahum,” he said.

Political observers, however, believed that Binay’s statement before the local officials in Bacolod City was just to a way to convince them to support his presidential bid on the next year’s polls.