HOLDING AN ELECTION AND PLEBISCITE AT ONCE IS NOT PROHIBITED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION, LAW, OR JURISPRUDENCE — CARPIO

By Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that holding an election and plebiscite at the same time is legal as there are no prohibitions under the Constitution, laws, and jurisprudence.

“Wala namang prohibition. Hindi naman ipinagbabawal na [pagsabayin]. Wala sa Saligang Batas na hindi pwedeng sabay. Wala naman sa ordinaryong batas na hindi pwede isabay at tska wala ring desisyon ang Supreme Court,” Carpio said in an interview with TeleRadyo.

He further said that it would be the call of the Commission of Elections (Comelec) if such would be feasible.

“It’s a matter of policy kung kaya. Ang sabi naman ni Chairman [George] Garcia since isang question lang ‘yun, pwede namang isama. It’s up to Comelec kung kaya nila,” he said.

“In terms of legal or not, it’s legal. Wala namang prohibition,” Carpio added.

Earlier, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal questioned the proposal to have the 2025 election and plebiscite simultaneously.

“With all due respect to President Marcos, his position to hold a plebiscite to amend the Constitution alongside the 2025 national and local elections (NLEs) is not tenable or of doubtful constitutionality,” he said.

“Section 4, Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution mandates that the ratification of any amendment to or revision thereof shall be done ‘in a plebiscite.’ Said provision does not say that the ratification shall be done ‘in an election,’ nor in an ‘election and plebiscite,'” Macalintal added.

(el Amigo/MNM)