The Young Guns Bloc in the House of Representatives has filed a resolution seeking to lower the minimum age requirement for the country’s highest elected positions.
Filed as Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) Number 2, the measure calls for a Constitutional Convention (ConCon) to amend the 1987 Constitution. The proposal specifically targets Articles 6 and 7, which set age qualifications for the president, vice president and senators.
Under current law, candidates for president and vice president must be at least 40 years old, while senators must be 35. The bloc is proposing to reduce those requirements to 35 years old for president and vice president, and 30 years old for senator.
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, one of the proponents, said the change would align the Philippines with other countries such as the United States, where younger leaders are eligible to run for the presidency.
Ortega added that with a significant percentage of the electorate now composed of young voters, government should be more “collaborative” and open to fresh perspectives. He said top national positions have long been dominated by older politicians, and lowering the age limit could give space for what he called “bright minds” from the younger generation.
The resolution remains subject to debate and approval by both chambers of Congress.
