In the Philippines, president contemplates constitutional referendum to coincide with 2025 elections

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said a plebiscite on a plan to amend the South-east Asian country’s nearly 40-year old Constitution may be held along with the mid-term elections in 2025. Conducting the two polls separately would be costly, Mr Marcos told reporters in Manila on Feb 28 before he departed for an official visit to Australia. “If we hold the plebiscite together with the local elections in May next year, that will mean big savings for us. We are studying it closely,” he said. Mr Marcos is pushing to revise the 1987 Constitution, seeking changes in economic provisions to attract more foreign investments and spur one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. The House of Representatives, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, Mr Marcos’s cousin who is supporting the plan, began deliberations this week on the proposed changes. Any revision to the Constitution will need to undergo a public vote via a plebiscite and must secure majority support.
Read the full article here: Straits Times