Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez warned President Arroyo that any move to extend the term of Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado is against the Constitution. Gonzalez advised her not heed the snowballing calls for her to prolong Ibrado’s stint in the AFP leadership.

Several solons, both from the opposition and administration, have been calling for Ibrado’s term extension to ensure honest, orderly, and credible elections in May.

Ibrado is set to retire on March 10, two months before the May 10 local and national polls.

“I wrote the President already. I told her that she cannot extend the term of Ibrado (because) that will violate the Constitution,” Gonzalez said in an interview over government-run DzRB.

He explained that there are only two reasons for the President to extend Ibrado’s term – the existence of war and the Congress’ declaration of a state of emergency.

“There is no war. There is no state of emergency declared by the Congress, so how can the President extend the term of the Chief of Staff?” Gonzalez asked.

Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, who is said to be Mrs. Arroyo’s “favorite” general, is among those reportedly being eyed as Ibrado’s replacement.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1978, Bangit also served as head of Presidential Security Group (PSG) under the Arroyo leadership, which is set to end in June.