Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "javi" Benitez agrees with the proposal to reduce the minimum age requirement for presidential hopefuls from 40 to 35.

Benitez, 30, a member of the "House Hotshots" and part of the broad youth movement in the lower chamber under Speaker Martin Romualdez, explained his position in a recent Facebook post.

He also left a cryptic sentence in his post that would make you wonder about the possibilities in the 2028 Palace race.

"Kung kaya na ng 35 sa U.S., bakit 40 pa sa Pilipinas? (If the United States can allow 35, why does the Philippines insist on 40?)" asked Benitez, an assistant majority leader in the current 20th Congress.

"Sa U.S., 35 years old pwede nang maging Presidente. Sa Pilipinas, hinihintay pa ang 40 (In the US, a 35 year old can already become President. In the Philippines, you have to wait to reach the age of 40)," he noted.

"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," mused Benitez.

(Back in the day, readiness to lead was determined by age. But now, there are young public servants who possess the skill, courage, and compassion to show that age isn't the basis for real leadership.)

Benitez concluded with a head-scratcher of a line: "Kung kaya ng ibang bansa, bakit hindi kaya ng Pilipinas? Baka lang mayroon tayong huling baraha para sa bayan. "

(If other countries can do it, why not the Philippines? Perhaps we may have a final card for the nation.)

The youngest Philippine president in history was General Emilio Aguinaldo at 28 years old in 1899 during the First Philippine Republic.

Excluding revolutionary figures, the youngest Filipino was Ramon Magsaysay, who became president in 1953 at the age of 46.