[ad_1]
MANILA, Philippines – Several senators on Wednesday opposed “squarely” the idea of discussing the call made by certain groups to establish a revolutionary government.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously dismissed the call for a revolutionary government, recently said that it should be discussed publicly and not in secret.
“We shouldn’t even discuss it. We have so many problems. The revolutionary government is a dictatorship, plain and simple. Kawawa ang tao diyan [The people will suffer]. We will oppose that. I’m totally against it, ”Senator Richard Gordon said in an interview on the ABS-CBN news channel on Wednesday.
A group called Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordination Committee (MRRD-NECC) earlier launched a movement calling for a revolutionary government led by the Duterte administration so that it could accelerate the government’s transition to federalism.
Gordon emphasized that instituting a revolutionary government would only result in negative effects for the country.
“They can take anyone out, they can put anyone in jail, and that is not going to be good for our country,” he said.
“We will lose the respect of the world and our economy will sink as it did during the time of Mr. Marcos,” he added, referring to the late dictator, former president Ferdinand Marcos, who declared martial law nationwide in 1972.
‘Dangerous’
Echoing Gordon’s opinion, Senator Panfilo Lacson also refused to discuss the proposed revolutionary government.
“There is nothing to discuss about a revolutionary government. There is absolutely no justification or legal basis for it. It is a very dangerous proposition, ”he said in a message to journalists.
“It is divisive and could plunge the country into social unrest and even civil war,” he added.
For Senator Francis Pangilinan, the administration’s “abysmal” response to COVID-19 should be a topic of discussion and not a call for a revolutionary government.
“The COVID situation is horribly out of control,” he said in a statement.
“That is why the open discussion that needs to be done is on how to reform the government’s COVID response, which is clouded by incompetence and corruption,” he added.
He said discussions should focus on stopping the spread of the virus and addressing the resulting unemployment and hunger in the country.
“That RevGov just adds to the problem and is not a solution to the problem,” Pangilinan said. “Failed government, not RevGov, that should be talked about.”
[Original statement in Filipino: “Dagdag pa sa problema at hindi solusyon sa problema yang rev gov na yan. Failed gov, hindi rev gov, ang kailangan pag-usapan.”]Read next
EDITOR’S SELECTION
MOST READ
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
