AN ally of President Aquino in the House of Representatives deplored on Thursday what he described as premature campaigning of potential presidential candidates in the 2016 elections, saying that their “posturing” is counterproductive and inimical to the national interest.

And this early, Liberal Party Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City wants these presidential hopefuls to sign a political covenant, which will contain the rules that will govern the next presidential elections.

While not naming names, Castelo was apparently alluding to Vice President Jejomar Binay whose camp has been very active in so-called text brigade in propagandizing Binay’s accomplishments.

Also, among the country’s politicians, only Binay has openly declared that he will run in the 2016 presidential polls.

In asking “politicians” to stop positioning themselves, Castelo said the Filipino people should be spared from the adverse effects of premature political campaigning, saying that these “unwarranted political activities” would only give a bad name to all politicians from all political parties and persuasions.

“They may not know it, but those political leaders who are afflicted with the dreaded disease of ‘presidentialitis’, or ‘presidential hepatitis’, are digging their own political grave by prematurely campaigning, albeit positioning themselves, for the top political post,” Castelo said in a statement.

“The Filipino people has a way of punishing those presumptive political leaders, who instead of doing their jobs, concentrate on either boosting their political stock, or silently berating their perceived political opponents in the 2016 presidential elections,” he added.

In his proposal for the signing of a covenant, Castelo said that potential candidates should agree to a general moratorium on all posturing and bickering, and issuing statements that either berate or belittle their potential opponents.

This should include a general agreement, where the signatories would agree to focus on their respective works either in Congress or in the Executive Department, Castelo said.

“The political covenant could include the rules of engagement that will govern the 2016 presidential polls. This is a move toward greater political maturity for the nation and the entire Filipino people,” Castelo said.

The proadministration legislator, who recently received flak from several sectors for his proposals to ban planking and the popular game “Angry Birds,” also dared civil-society organizations to initiate the campaign for a political covenant, which would take effect until at least end-2015, if only to show their patriotism or recognition of political necessity.

“The growing, or even intensifying, posturing or positioning for the 2016 presidential elections is already perceivable or noticeable for political novices. This is not good for the country,” said Castelo.

“We have to apply the political brakes to enable our leaders to focus on their jobs and save our people from the debilitating effects of premature political campaigning,” Castelo said.