MANILA – As a lawyer, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque believes that the revolutionary government being pushed by a group of supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte is unconstitutional.
Roque said in a television interview on Wednesday that the ploy was unconstitutional and Duterte himself is not supporting the call for him to lead a revolutionary government.
“It is not constitutional. Precisely, it is called revolutionary because it does not fall within the framework of the Constitution,” Roque said. “As far as I am concerned, the President was elected to a fixed term of office. He will finish that fixed term of office.”
“They claim to be supporters of the President so why would they want to unseat a constitutional president,” he added. “I join the President in our belief that the Constitution should be upheld because all public officers took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land.”
Duterte, who earlier denied any hand on the recent call of his supporters for a revolutionary government, has recently said that such initiative should be discussed publicly and with the military.
But Roque clarified Duterte’s latest statement saying that “all he said in his address to the nation is talk about it if you want. If the military wants to join the discussion, let them join the discussion.”
“But he has made up his mind as far as his personal conviction on it is concerned. He is not for it,” the Palace spokesperson added./PN
