Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino on Thursday warned that any move to postpone the 2019 elections would lead to dictatorship.
“If there is any move to postpone elections, you are bringing us closer to autocracy or to dictatorship,” Aquino said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
Aquino was reacting to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who earlier said that a people’s initiative can be pushed should Senate block the postponement of the 2019 polls, which he said will hasten the shift to federalism.
Aquino argued that a postponement of the polls might weaken the country’s democracy.
“Ang eleksyon haligi ‘yan ng demokrasya. It’s a pillar of our democracy. Kapag giniba mo ‘yung haligi na ‘yan, baka gumuho ‘yung demokrasya natin,” he said.
(The election is the pillar of our democracy. If you demolish that pillar, our democracy might collapse).
Although he opposes the planned transition to a new form of government, Aquino said there may be some politicians whose intentions are genuine in pushing for Charter change.
“May mga tao talaga who want genuine change and are pushing for a federal form or a change in our Constitution, who genuinely want to see real change,” he said.
However, he also noted there are some who want the shift “because the 2019 elections will be postponed and they want to extend their terms.”
He warned such politicians to separate that intention in pushing for a change in the Constitution. /muf
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