Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday said he is considering filing a bill that would mandate voters to select the presidential and vice presidential candidates in tandem during national elections.

Gatchalian, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming May 2022 elections, said there is a need to pattern the election for president and vice president after the United States to ensure that the selection of the two highest officials of the land will come from the same political party or affiliation.

The senator said selecting a single ticket would be easier and beneficial for voters as voting candidates that are running in tandem would ensure they are voting based on platforms and not on personality.

“Dapat gawing tandem ang pagboto sa president at vice-president. Sa pagpili ng presidenteng iboboto, kasama na dapat sa konsiderasyon ang napiling running mate nito sa pagka bise presidente (the voting for president and vice president should be done in tandem. In choosing the presidential bet, one should take into consideration the running mate chosen by the presidential candidate),” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“Unang-una, mas maigi na magkapareho ang platapormang sinusulong ng presidente at bise presidente para manatiling buo o solido ang pagpapatakbo ng administrasyon (In the first place, it’s much better to choose a president and VP whose platforms are aligned with so they can run the administration solidly),” the senator pointed out.

“Pangalawa, kung magkaalyado sila at sakaling may mangyari sa presidente, maipagpapatuloy ng bise ang nasimulan ng presidente (Second, if they are both allied, the vice president can easily continue whatever the president has started should anything happen to the president),” Gatchalian emphasized.

Gatchalian, however, acknowledged there is not enough time to pursue the amendment in the 1987 Constitution considering that the next round of poll exercise is already next year.

“Hindi na mangyayari ito sa darating na halalan dahil kulang na sa oras. Gusto ko lang buksan ang paksang ito para pag-aralan ng mga susunod na lider ng bansa (It’s not going to happen in this coming elections due to lack of time. I just want to open this topic so the next leader of the nation can study this),” he said.

Under Section 4, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, “the President and the Vice President shall be elected by direct vote from the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the 30th day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter.”

Gatchalian said he is mulling introducing a piecemeal amendment to the Constitution to pave the way for the election of the two highest government officials as a single ticket.

“Hindi nakakatulong sa atin kung magkaiba ang pananaw ng presidente at bise presidente sa mga polisiyang dapat na itinataguyod ng administrasyon lalo na kung mababahiran ito ng pamumulitika (It’s not beneficial to us if the president and vice president are establishing different policies within the administration especially if this would be tainted with politics),” he pointed out.