MANILA, Philippines — The possibility of “No-el,” or no elections next year, floated by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is but “one of several possible outcomes that would arise from a successful shift to a federal form of government” by the Duterte administration, the spokesman of the Commission on Elections said.
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James Jimenez, however, said No-el is not a foregone conclusion even if the government succeeds in engineering the shift.
“Such a shift — should it happen — can be accomplished without depriving the sovereign Filipino people of their Constitutionally guaranteed right to select their own leaders through free and fair elections,” Jimenez said Thursday, January 3.
“The Commission on Elections remains committed to fulfilling its mandate of conducting free and fair elections in accordance with the provisions of the 1987 Constitution,” he stresed.
“The Commission therefore urges everyone to participate in the national conversation on Constitutional amendment, particularly in the matter of federalism, so that should the time come to choose, the votes we cast shall be fully informed and well-considered,” Jimenez added.
