DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The camp of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte yesterday allayed fears of a supposed looming dictatorship under his administration after President Aquino called on Filipinos to be vigilant to prevent a repeat of the horrors of martial law.
Incoming presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said such fears are “misplaced,” noting that Duterte has vowed to respect the rule of law when he assumes office.
“President-elect Duterte has already said that there will be no martial law, no dictatorship during his term. He will be following the Constitution and the rule of law,” Panelo stressed. “In fact, under a Duterte presidency, the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution will be in full bloom. Remember that he is a lawyer and lawyers are trained to observe and enforce the Constitution.”
He took a jab at the outgoing Aquino administration, saying there were instances when the Bill of Rights were violated under the present leadership.
“There were many violations of bill of rights during the terms of previous presidents and the present administration. There was a short-cut of due process,” he added.
Panelo cited the case of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is now under hospital arrest for allegedly misusing the intelligence funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) worth P366 million.
In 2011, Arroyo tried to leave for Singapore to seek treatment for a bone ailment but was stopped by airport authorities due to a watch list order issued by the justice department.
The former president was barred from leaving the country even if the Supreme Court had stopped the government from enforcing the watch list order.
Then justice secretary Leila de Lima insisted that the watch list stays until her agency receives a copy of the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the high court. Arroyo’s lawyers said the justice department had disrespected the Supreme Court when it refused to abide by the TRO.
“No cases have been filed against her (that time) but she was stopped in the airport,” Panelo said.
He said the uneasiness of some sectors toward the incoming administration might have stemmed from Duterte’s style of governance.
“He is assertive. He has political will, he walks his talk. He is different from other presidents,” Panelo said. “Other presidents are prim but he is brave and he does what he says.”
Some sectors are wary of Duterte’s pronouncements including his offer of bounty to people who will kill drug lords and to implement a bloody war against criminals. Critics are worried that Duterte’s anti-drug and criminality campaign would lead to human rights violations and extralegal killings.
During his final Independence Day address as president, Aquino urged Filipinos to defend democracy and to guard against efforts to restrict their freedoms.
“Let us remember that just a generation ago, the Philippine government itself was the one suppressing the freedom of our fellow Filipinos. A fellow Filipino deprived us of our freedoms. It means that if we are not vigilant, this can happen again,” Aquino said.
He claimed that his administration was able to implement positive changes in the country without disregarding rule of law and due process.
“May we never take it for granted or be passive in its defense,” the outgoing president said.
Meanwhile, Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. said yesterday that Duterte’s warning for Congress not to investigate his anti-crime campaign “threatens the country’s democratic system.”
“Does he wish to entrench an iron rule by dictating what Congress should do, throwing aside the independence of the branches of government?” he asked in reaction to Duterte’s statement during a thanksgiving party last Wednesday.
Addressing himself to lawmakers, the incoming president said: “Don’t investigate me. The road will end with me. The buck stops here. We are going to have a fight.”
“The separation of powers of the branches of government is essential in any democracy, even in a federalist system which president-elect Duterte is reportedly advocating,” Baguilat said.
He pointed out that, “congressional investigations in aid of legislation are not conducted merely to find fault but to offer suggestions on how to improve the executive agenda, and through these hearings, officials can lobby Congress for budget and appropriate legislation.”
As example, he cited Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte’s running mate, who looked into Vice President Jejomar Binay’s public spending as mayor of Makati.
Those investigations led to cases before the Ombudsman against Binay, and several proposed laws on public bidding, he said.
“In government, there is no monopoly of good ideas or of commitment to the people’s welfare. Lawmakers will not be obstructionist or demagogues in their critique, and I for one sincerely wish to offer constructive suggestions through these hearings,” Baguilat said.
He cited the recent drug-related deaths at the Close-up Forever Summer concert last month as an opportunity for the executive and legislative branches to strengthen the campaign against illegal drugs.
“Some criminals have found loopholes in current laws, and it is important for the executive and legislative branches to tighten the net against these outlaws,” Baguilat said, as he stressed his support for the incoming administration’s planned stronger anti-crime effort.
Charter change
Meanwhile, Camarines Sur representative-elect Luis Raymund Villafuerte expects Charter change to finally see the light of day in the 17th Congress.
As a proponent of federalism and easing of economic restrictions in the Constitution, he said Duterte’s push for a shift to a federal form of government was long overdue.
“The apparent emerging consensus in both houses of Congress for constitutional reform opens the door wide to the long-overdue shift from our unitary system to the federal form of government under the Duterte presidency,” Villafuerte said. – With Jess Diaz, Art Dumlao, Paolo Romero