President Rodrigo Duterte remains against the calls of his supporters to declare a revolutionary government, Malacañang said Tuesday.
“The President stands by his statement that there is no need for a revolutionary government because he belongs to a constitutional government,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.
Roque was commenting on Duterte’s statement on Monday that talks about a revolutionary government should be “discussed publicly, including military.”
He said pro-Duterte groups pushing for a revolutionary government are free to publicly air their opinion.
“If there are people, sectors who have any resentment and think that there is a need for a revolutionary government to address these resentments, that’s where the public discourse on important issues in our country come in,” Roque said.
Duterte, he said, supports free speech even if the views expressed are against his.
“The President believes in free speech because, with free speech, there is a discourse on issues that affect our daily lives,” Roque said.
The Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte – National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC), a group of Duterte supporters, has been pushing for the establishment of a revolutionary government and the adoption of a new federal Constitution.
Duterte and several top officials have publicly rejected the proposal to establish a revolutionary government.
For now, the President and the government are addressing the prevailing coronavirus pandemic, Roque said.
Earlier, the spokesman said Duterte has not abandoned his campaign promise to push for a federal system of government.
Roque noted that the President is only looking at three options to amend the 1987 Constitution—Constitutional Convention (Con-Con), Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass), or the people’s initiative.
