Macalintal dismisses Duterte idea of revolutionary style gov’t

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte’s warning to declare a revolutionary government may only be out of his “desperation for change,” an election lawyer said Thursday.

“Perhaps the idea of a ‘revolutionary government’ was merely floated by the President out of his desperation for change that does not seem to come that easy which he practically assured the people during the campaign period in the 2016 polls,” election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said in a statement.

Macalintal dismissed Duterte’s pronouncement saying the President’s statement was merely rhetoric and a hyperbole, thus should not be taken literally.

Duterte warned on Friday last week that he would declare a revolutionary government if his critics’ attempt to destabilize the government escalates and causes trouble.

READ: Duterte threatens to adopt Cory’s revolutionary style gov’t vs destab plotters

“Pag ang destabilization ninyo patagilid na and medyo magulo na (If your destabilization is worsening and it is becoming chaotic), I will not hesitate to declare a revolutionary government until the end of my term, and I will arrest all of you and we can go to a full scale war against the Reds,” he said in an interview with Erwin Tulfo aired over PTV Friday night.

Macalintal said that as a lawyer, Duterte should know that revolutionary government is the result of a revolution where the existing legitimate government is completely overthrown by a new group of leaders that establishes its own government.

One example of such was the revolutionary government established by the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, which ousted late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and installed President Corazon Aquino as its titular head, and later as the chief executive, under the Freedom Constitution.

The People Power 2 that ousted President Joseph Estrada, on the other hand, did not establish a revolutionary government because he was succeeded by then Vice-President Gloria M. Arroyo pursuant to the 1987 Constitution.

“This made Arroyo a “constitutional successor” because the oath of office she took as President is the oath of office under the 1987 Constitution,” Macalintal explained.

But history taught us, Macalintal pointed out, that a revolutionary government is “not a guarantee or sure fire formula” for the country’s problems.

“In a word, it seems that our problem is not the system of government but the people who are running the system,” he said. /jpv