By CESAR JOLITO III
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the proposal to lower the minimum age requirement for national candidates should ultimately be left to the electorate.
“It’s really up to the people who will elect them,” Lacson said, adding that age should not be a hindrance as long as candidates meet constitutional qualifications.
“To lower the age by five years … is just a number. For as long as the constitutional convention will be specific on that, that’s okay,” he added.
Lacson said there is always the likelihood that other matters will be included.
“As to lowering the age, I don’t mind,” he said.
Lacson was reacting to the resolution filed in the House of Representatives by the so-called Young Guns bloc, which seeks to reduce the age qualifications for president and vice president from 40 to 35, and for senators from 35 to 30.
The measure, contained in Resolution of Both Houses No. 2, was authored by Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega and Jay Khonghun, Deputy Majority Leaders Zia Alonto Adiong and Rodge Gutierrez, as well as Representatives Lordan Suan and Eduardo Rama.
“There are a lot of young and bright public servants. It’s hard to answer for them. There is no limit on who will benefit from this measure,” Ortega said.
Pushing for the measure, the lawmakers said it is time to allow younger Filipinos to take on higher national posts, noting that the aspirants are more “globally competitive, socially aware and capable of national leadership.”
“The Philippines has undergone major demographic and social shifts, with more than 52 percent of the population under the age of 30, reflecting a vibrant, dynamic and increasingly educated youth sector,” they said in their resolution.
The lawmakers said that leadership is not about age but about vision.
“By opening the highest offices to leaders as young as 35, we give the Filipino people a chance to be led by the energy and creativity of the youth, ready to carry the nation forward,” the resolution added.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javi Benitez has thrown his support behind the resolution, arguing that amending the 1987 Constitution’s provisions on terms and qualifications is necessary to give space for a younger generation of leaders.
“If we want better leaders, we need better rules,” Benitez wrote in a Facebook post.
The proposal is expected to spark debates in Congress and among the public, particularly on whether lowering age thresholds would widen opportunities for younger leaders or risk electing inexperienced officials./CJ, WDJ