Instead of calling for resignations and a snap election, the first move to solve the country’s corruption crisis would be to amend the 1987 Constitution, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said on Monday.
In an ambush interview on the sidelines of the Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCFI) meeting, Libanan was asked about Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s suggestion for a snap election amid various scandals affecting sitting officials, stemming from corruption schemes in the flood control projects.
According to Libanan, if there are things that should be changed, it should start with the Constitution and the campaign spending limits, as this would level the playing field.
‘As a minority leader, if we want to initiate changes properly, maybe now is the right time to call for a constitutional convention or constituent assembly to change the Constitution, because we have seen things that need to be changed,’ Libanan said.
‘This is not just for the election, but we should include genuine electoral reform that our country needs, regarding campaign spending, the expenditures of the politicians, and we prefer that – it’s like rebooting computers. Let us start it properly,’ he suggested.
When asked if he feels Cayetano’s suggestion is illegal – as some legal luminaries noted that there are no provisions for a snap election is the 1987 Constitution – Libanan agreed, saying that amending the basic law would cure this.
‘Yes, that is not in the Constitution, but the constitutional convention or constituent assembly, or even a People’s Initiative, these are in the Constitution [.] and based on that new Constitution, we will follow that system in electing the officials of the government,’ he said.
In a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, Cayetano called for the resignation of all incumbent officials and the holding of snap elections to address the people’s distrust.
‘What if we all just resign and allow a snap election from the president, vice president, senate and congress, with one important addition – no incumbent from the above can run for one election cycle,’ Cayetano said.
‘If we truly serve them, then starting over shouldn’t scare us. Because real change starts with radical honesty – and the courage to admit when it’s time to step aside,’ he added.
However, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that Cayetano’s ‘important’ condition in his snap elections scenario could be declared unconstitutional, while a political expert said such a call ‘invites instability,’ especially at a time when rumors of a military coup have swirled.
For the 20th Congress, there are at least two charter change bills filed before the House.
Last July 15, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin filed RBH No. 1 to amend the 1987 Constitution’s provisions on national territory and economy.
Garbin said this is almost similar to what was filed and approved by the 18th and 19th Congress, save for proposals to change the territorial provisions.
He wants to incorporate the award from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016, which stated that the Philippines has exclusive rights over its waters.
Then, on August 12, Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno stated that a charter change is necessary to address the inconsistencies and confusing wording in the Constitution.
Anger towards public officials started from revelations that flood control funds may have been lost to corruption.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address last July 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned government officials and contractors who allegedly benefited from flood control projects at the expense of the people.
Eventually, Marcos inspected several projects which were then revealed to be either substandard or completely non-existent.
Investigations from different bodies – including Congress – followed suit, but several lawmakers were implicated as either having interests in the companies that do flood control projects, or were accused of diverting funds for such purposes.
The flood control scandal eventually reached Congress’s leadership.
On September 8, 2022, former Senate President Francis Escudero was replaced by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, after Escudero was criticized for receiving a P30 million campaign donation in 2022 from a contractor whose firm had secured numerous government infrastructure projects.
In the House, former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez relinquished his post last September 17, to allow an independent commission to probe his alleged involvement in flood control issues.
Romualdez has not been connected to any of the top companies doing the flood control projects, but he was one of the lawmakers named by contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya as allegedly receiving kickbacks from the projects.
Romualdez called out the Discaya couple’s claims, calling them ‘false, malicious and nothing more than name-dropping.’
Senators from the Minority bloc were also implicated.
During the House tri-committee hearing, former Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Hernandez stated that Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada brought funds to Bulacan’s first district for anomalous flood control projects, where the two senators requested a 30 percent cut from the project cost.
Both Villanueva and Estrada denied these accusations.