Senators rejected Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s call for snap elections, with Senate President Tito Sotto warning that the proposal would invite ‘uncertainty and chaos.’
Cayetano on Sunday, October 5 urged all leaders – from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to members of Congress – to resign, saying the country needed a ‘fresh start’ that could be achieved through a snap election.
Political analysts and fellow lawmakers quickly questioned Cayetano’s call, noting that he did not offer to resign himself and suggesting the proposal was a distraction from genuine efforts at accountability.
Sotto said the Constitution provides no mechanism for such a move and warned it could cause unrest.
‘We have no constitutional nor legal framework for snap elections. We will be flirting with uncertainty and chaos,’ Sotto told reporters.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson also said snap elections were not the answer to restoring public trust.
‘Election, snap or regular, is not the solution. In fact, election campaigns actually add to more corruption – of the electorate by the candidates,’ Lacson said in a statement.
He said holding wrongdoers accountable would do far more to rebuild trust in government.
‘For a change, how about certainty of punishment of corrupt politicians? The higher the better,’ he added.
Facing criticism, Cayetano later clarified that his remarks were not meant to urge officials to step down.
‘It’s not my job nor my intention to tell anyone what to do, to tell anyone to resign… My duty is to reflect on the problems our nation faces – discern, pray, then articulate ideas,’ he said.