Military general opposes RevGov bid: ‘I don’t believe in it’

MANILA, Philippines — Standing by the Philippines’ “very robust” Constitution, a ranking military official on Monday rejected calls for a revolutionary government.

During a confirmation hearing of a panel of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Luzon Command chief Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade thumbed down efforts made by a pro-Duterte group to establish a revolutionary government.

A group called Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC) earlier launched a movement calling for a revolutionary government led by the Duterte administration which will fast-track federalism.

“I’m not very familiar with that group but I don’t believe in a revolutionary government. We have existing mechanisms. We have a constitution that is very robust,” Parlade told lawmakers after Senator Risa Hontiveros asked about his stand on the matter.

“Maybe we need some reforms. There are provisions in the Constitution that’s probably already obsolete. Maybe that’s one of the things that we should look at,” he added.

Further, the military general surmised that the proponents of calls for a revolutionary government may have just been “dissatisfied with the slow pace that we are dealing with these reforms because of some constitutional constraints.”

But Parlade, who was up for CA confirmation along with other senior AFP officers, stressed that reforms should be addressed through legislative action.

“Still, I believe we need to support reforms in the government and these can be done through legislation,” he claimed.

Hontiveros, who has earlier criticized moves to establish a revolutionary government, lauded Parlade for his response.

The senator said the bid for a revolutionary government is a “big offensive joke” considering hundreds of Filipinos are dying amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Further, Hontiveros asked Parlade how the AFP should respond if a revolutionary government is established.

The military official invoked anew the boundaries of the Constitution.

“I think it is clear, we have to go back to the Constitution, to determine whether these actions are allowed. Our actions will be limited by what is within the Constitution,” Parlade said. [edv]