De Lima warns Duterte, revolutionary gov’t supporters

FILE: Sen. Leila de Lima (PNA Photo)

Senator Leila de Lima, on November 19, warned the President and the supporters of his threat of a revolutionary government to be careful of what they wish for.

“We should never welcome a military takeover. But because of this infantile call for [Rodrigo Roa] Duterte to declare a revolutionary government, that is exactly what we might end up with, and Duterte’s head at the end of a stake,” de Lima said.

The detained Senator was referring to the President’s threat in October, citing allegations of destabilization attempts against his administration.

“A revolutionary government means the abrogation of the Constitution, the only thing that is keeping Duterte president of the country. Without the Constitution, there is no longer any legal basis for keeping Duterte in power,” she added.

De Lima was specific in pointing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the institution to likely grab power in the situation, and this might ruin Duterte.

“As far as I am concerned, the military has no particular reason why it should want to keep Duterte as President in the absence of the 1987 Constitution,” she said.

She then added, “His record in kowtowing to China and selling out the Spratlys is notorious among the generals and junior officers. The AFP has never felt any affinity to the number one external security threat to the Philippines.”

For de Lima, the sooner the AFP realizes that Duterte, is a “civilian leader who has not shown any resolve in asserting the Philippines’ victory” regarding the country’s territories in the West Philippine Sea and his threat for a revolutionary government is “now the country’s most immediate domestic threat,” it will grab power for itself.

The President on November 18 complained that his statement about a revolutionary government was cut so it was easy for people to judge him.

“I said if things go out of control at tumagilid ‘yung gobyerno, ‘yun ang predicate ko (and the government falls, that is my predicate). It was not an outright statement na mag-revo – alam mo na (to start a revolution)… when people…People judge best when they condemn,” Duterte said.

“Kasi ang statement ko, pinaghati, chop-chop ‘yan (Because my statement was chopped). And only what is good for a public criticism will come out,” he added.

He further stressed that he did not like Martial Law especially its restrictions and he just wanted to warn any attempts to ‘topple’ his government.