Roque says Duterte wants ‘younger’ transition leader

Following his announcement of stepping down by 2019, refusing to lead the federal transition of the country, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, 73, said that he wants the people to choose a “younger” leader.

“‘Yung transition leader ay ihahalal ng taumbayan dahil siya daw ay bibitaw na kapag naaprubahan ang Saligang Batas at hahayaan niyang ang taumbayan na magpili ng mas bata (The transition leader will be elected by the people because he will step down [from Presidency] once the Constitution is approved and he will let the people decide on electing someone younger),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. said in an interview with DZMM on Tuesday, July 10.

“At parang nang in-announce niya iyan sa Cabinet, eh para ngang nagpaalam na eh dahil sabi niya ‘Tapos na ako’ ‘no ‘by 2019’ (And when he announced it to the Cabinet, it seemed that he was saying farewell because he said ‘I am done by 2019,’” Roque said, quoting Duterte.

According to the spokesman, Duterte’s “mission” was only to transcend the Philippine government to a federal one, so he asked the Constitutional Commission (Con-Com) and the lawmakers to add a provision that would ban him from leading the transition.

“Sabi nga niya, ito nga ay para maalis lahat ng suspetsa na may ibang balakid pagdating sa Charter Change (Cha-cha) at pangalawa nga eh ay pagod na [siya] (He said that this is to remove all speculations that he has other motives with the Charter Change and second is that he is already tired),” Roque explained in the same interview.

Roque then went on by encouraging the people to exercise their democracy by speaking out, as legislators finalize the draft of the federal Constitution, adding that this will affect everyone’s lives.

“Importante na tayo’y magdiskurso, lahat ng tao ay magsabi kung kontra o [sang-ayon] (It is important for us to have a discourse, everyone should say whether they are against or agreeing),” he further said.

A shift to federalism has been part of Duterte’s platform when he was still running for the Presidential post, believing that it is a solution to many of the country’s problems. He has also repeatedly emphasized in his speeches the need for a federal form of government.