'Very premature' to consider postponing 2022 polls —election lawyer

With more than a year to go before May 9, 2022, it is still "very premature" to consider postponing the Philippines' next elections, an election lawyer said Friday.

Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal also said a postponement of the elections would contradict President Rodrigo Duterte's claim that the government is doing its best to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, Duterte and his allies "should be the first to assure our people that the election in 2022 will push through," Macalintal said in a statement.

"Our law is very clear that elections could only be postponed in case of violence, terrorism or destruction of poll records which would make it impossible to conduct a clean and credible election," he said.

"Thus it is still very premature to think of postponement of polls with about one and a half years before the election," he added.

Macalintal suggested that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) closely observe the upcoming presidential elections in the United States, the country with the most number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at almost 7 million.

Nearly 200,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the US.

"The Comelec should also be more dynamic in addressing this issue to calm down our people and would-be investors to assure them of political stability in our country despite this pandemic," Macalintal said.

House Deputy Majority Leader Mikey Arroyo on Thursday raised the idea of postponement, asking the Comelec if it was considering moving the 2022 elections over health concerns amid the pandemic.

"Hindi po talaga. Because alam naman natin that this is a constitutional mandate at fixed yung nilagay," Comelec chairperson Sheriff Abas said.

Comelec executive director Bartolome Sinocruz said the commission is now considering safety measures, including holding the elections for two days.

Another known election lawyer, George Garcia, said a postponement of the elections is unconstitutional, especially if its effect would be extending the term of incumbent officials.

"By June 30 noon of 2022, we should already have a new set of elective officials," Garcia said in a message.

Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, for his part, pointed out that other countries have found a way to still push through with their elections.

"Sana yung mga kinatawan natin sa Kongreso e solusyon ang isipin, imbis na kung paano patagalin ang sarili sa pwesto. Eleksyon ang pundasyon ng demokrasya natin, at dapat matuloy ito ayon sa batas." Diokno said in a tweet.  —KBK/RSJ, GMA News