Will he, or won’t he?

Remain in office beyond 2016, that is, either by extending his term or seeking a second term through reelection. The Constitution, of course, allows neither, so in the same breath there is talk of Charter change, resurrecting the top hit of the 90s that was Cha-cha.

So is the President serious about staying on in the Palace by the Pasig? The signals from his allies, his partymates in the Liberal Party, his spokespersons and other members of his official family, even from the President himself, have been mixed, to put it mildly. One day someone says well, yes, he is “open” to term extension, but the next day – or sometimes even on the same day – another says no, he is definitely stepping down in 2016.

The President himself has said time and again that he would consult with and listen to his “bosses” the people, meaning you and me. His run for the presidency in May 2010 – initially an unlikely shot but hugely successful, it turned out – was a result of the public clamor for him to run following the death in August 2009 of his mother President Cory, whose candidacy in 1985 – also a highly unlikely shot – was likewise the result of public clamor – a housewife against a dictator, an unevenly matched fight that ended up in one of the most amazing political upheavals in history.

The two Aquino presidencies lead one to believe that occupancy of Malacañang is indeed a matter of destiny. So is this President getting too comfortable in the Palace? He did say not too long ago that he was finally “enjoying” his office. But some say he is floating the idea just to keep people on their toes, to keep them guessing, and to avoid his being regarded as a lame duck president.

I looked up the oft-used term. A lame duck is an elected official, especially a president, who is approaching the end of his tenure, especially one whose successor has already been elected. In the literal sense, the term refers to a duck which is unable to keep up with its flock, making it an easy target for predators. Lame duck officials tend to have less political power, since other elected officials are less inclined to cooperate with them and allies may already be looking to the future and “shopping” for new alliances. Thus hinting that he may be around for a while longer could indeed be an effort to counter such perceptions.

But what if he really is considering remaining president, and is encouraging all the talk to build momentum to make it happen? I guess we’ll know soon enough, as the next election is just 20 months away.

As President Cory’s term was drawing to close, there was widespread talk as well that she would – and could, she being the “revolutionary” president – seek a second term. A friend of mine challenged me to a friendly wager of P5 that President Cory would run again, especially since the widow of the dictator had declared her candidacy. I never collected on that wager, but I’m ready to put my money on the same bet for this President.