Sotto on junta rumors: Not good alternative to elections, Constitution

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Monday warned against the alleged calls of some groups to establish a "civil-military junta" targeting to remove President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte from office.

"Mob rule and military adventurism are not good alternatives to elections and Constitutionalism," he said in a press statement.

"It will reset us to a banana republic, back to square one in the democratic scale," he said.

Sotto said the rule of law and due process remain the "best policies for the long game to real progress," adding that taking "short cuts will lead us to a rocky road towards anarchy and uncertainty."

"It will give internal and external disruptive forces their chance to turn us to un-Filipino ideologies and tip the balance of world stability in the Asia-Pacific region," he added.

Over the weekend, Senator Panfilo Lacson said he received and ignored offers from some resigned military personnel to establish a "civil-military junta” aiming to topple the current administration.

Lacson urged the public to continue the call for accountability relating to the flood control projects, but not at the expense of the Constitution.

“Ang panawagan ko rin, ako personally, short of resorting to violence, 'wag humupa yung galit ng ating mga kababayan. Tuloy-tuloy lang yung ating mga kababayan na tigilan na yung katiwalian, tigilan na yung corruption,” he said.

(My personal call is, short of resorting to violence, I hope the anger of our countrymen does not subside. I hope Filipinos will continue to fight against wrongdoings, and stop corruption.)

Malacañang, in a statement, welcomed Lacson’s remarks and stated that the calls for a “transition council” only meant to remove Marcos from his position.

"We welcome Senator Lacson's straightforward and unambiguous reaction on that issue, given that the move to change the leadership through a military-backed reset violates our Constitution. The people behind this so-called ‘transition council’ have only one goal: to remove President Marcos, Jr. not for the country, not for the Filipinos, but for their own vested interests,” said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro. — BM, GMA Integrated News