Antipolo City 1st District Representative Ronaldo Puno on Wednesday shot down allegations made by Senator Imee Marcos that her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., intends to prolong his presidency beyond 2028.
The statement comes in response to rumors that administration allies in Congress are quietly pushing for a constituent assembly to overhaul the 1987 Constitution.
Critics allege the planned amendments aim to grant Marcos a term extension while simultaneously blocking Vice President Sara Duterte from launching a 2028 presidential bid.
In a televised interview, Puno expressed deep skepticism regarding the President’s supposed desire to remain in office.
“I don’t think, frankly, President Marcos is thinking that way,” Puno stated. “That’s a really hard job, very thankless. Halos wala kang magawang tama diyan (You can barely do anything right there). The country is in serious crisis, I’m sure he’s having many sleepless nights. I don’t think he wants to keep doing this for the next five years or more.”
Puno further clarified that the House committee on constitutional amendments is currently not deliberating on any Charter change proposals, pointing to leadership within the lower chamber as the reason for the standstill.
“Siguro kaya hindi gumagalaw yan sa Congress ngayon is because the House rules committee is not moving it forward and the rules committee is headed by the son of the President (Perhaps the reason why that is not moving in Congress right now is because the House rules committee is not moving it forward and the rules committee is headed by the son of the President),” Puno explained, pointing to House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos.
The controversy stems from a privilege speech delivered by Senator Imee Marcos on Monday, during which she showed a video supporting the term-extension claims. She later retracted her statements following sharp blowback from members of the Senate minority bloc.