Chief Justice against reelection
Media
Part of Panorama
- Title
- Chief Justice against reelection
- Language
- English
- Source
- Panorama Volume XX (No. 10) October 1968
- Year
- 1968
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- ■ Proposals for a new constitution. CHIEF JUSTICE AGAINST REELECTION Incumbent elective of ficials, who are running for reelection, should be made to resign one year before elec tion day. This was proposed by Chief Justice Roberto Con cepcion of the Supreme Court as an alternative to his earlier proposal to ban immediate reelection for the President and all other elective officials. In an interview, Concep cion further amplified his noimmediate reelection plan which, he said, would mini mize the “corroding effects of too much politics” in this country. Concepcion made his . no reelection proposal in a speech before the Philippine Bar Association in observance of World Law Day. Concepcion had said that a public officer who seeks a second term of office is un der a terrific handicap in the performance of his functions. Often, he said, reelectionists use the powers and in fluence of their offices to advance their candidacy, in stead of promoting public welfare. If the proposed prohibition on immediate reelection can not be pushed through, the Chief Justice said, the next best alternative is to amend existing provisions of law or the Constitution to require reelectionists to resign from of fice a year before election day. The alternative plan, Con cepcion hoped, would like wise achieve the objective of minimizing too much politic king among elective officials. This is so, Concepcion ex plained, because it is usually during the last few months before elections that the of ficials play politics. The reelection of officials is also to blame for expen sive poll expenses, he said. A reelectionist is likely to spend more to keep himself in power, while his opponents will try to offset the advan tages of the incumbent by excessive spending, Concep cion said. — Manila Times, Oct., 1968. Panorama
- pages
- 8