Lagman: Duterte threat to establish revolutionary gov’t based on ‘imagined fears’

An opposition lawmaker on Saturday said President Rodrigo Duterte's basis for his threat to declare a revolutionary government is based on "imagined fears."

"There are no destabilization plots or serious threats from the Left and political opposition," Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman said in a statement.

He also said that establishing a revolutionary government has no constitutional basis.

"A revolutionary government is the result of a successful people’s uprising or revolt overthrowing an incumbent President and his subalterns like the EDSA People Power revolution," he said.

He added: "It is not a product of a self-serving declaration of a sitting President ostensively to retain and prolong the exercise of powers and “crush” perceived enemies of the state."

Lagman said what is happening is a "critical dissent" against Duterte's "destruction of democratic institutions like derogating the independence of the Ombudsman and the Supreme Court Chief Justice, among others."

Duterte had been throwing tirades at Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and had even threatened to file an impeachment complaint against the two officials.

The President had made repeated remarks about his desire to declare revolutionary government.

In a report on state-run PTV News on Friday, he said he will declare a revolutionary government if destabilization moves by his critics and the Left will continue.

Duterte also floated the idea during the swearing-in ceremony of his new appointees last August 29.

He first raised the possibility of constituting a revolutionary form of government during the May 2016 presidential election campaign. —ALG, GMA News