Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javi Benitez has thrown his support behind the proposal to reduce the minimum age requirement for presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years old.
The 30-year-old lawmaker, tagged as one of the “House Hotshots” and a rising face in the youth movement in Congress under Speaker Martin Romualdez, made his stand clear in a Facebook post—while also leaving a cryptic line that sparked intrigue about the 2028 presidential derby.
“Kung kaya na ng 35 sa U.S., bakit 40 pa sa Pilipinas?” said Benitez, who currently serves as an Assistant Majority Leader in the 20th Congress.
“In the U.S., 35 years old pwede nang maging Presidente. Sa Pilipinas, hinihintay pa ang 40,” he pointed out.
He continued, “Noong araw, edad ang sukatan ng ‘hinog’ na liderato. Pero ngayon, may mga batang lingkod-bayan na may galing, tapang, at malasakit para ipakita na hindi edad ang batayan ng tunay na pamumuno.”
Benitez then dropped a head-scratcher of a closer: “Kung kaya ng ibang bansa, bakit hindi kaya ng Pilipinas? Baka lang mayroon tayong huling baraha para sa bayan.”
The statement follows Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto’s proposal to formally amend the presidential age requirement—something that could open the doors for younger leaders, including Sotto’s nephew, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, widely seen as “presidential material” because of his reforms.