Aguirre defends rallies backing revolutionary government

MANILA, Philippines — People have the right to express their support for a revolutionary government, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said yesterday. 

Aguirre was reacting to the rally staged by over 3,000 supporters of President Duterte at the Don Chino Roces Bridge (Mendiola) near Malacañang during the 154th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio last Nov. 30.

Simultaneous rallies in support of a revolutionary government were also held in Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu and Davao.

Aguirre said that some people supporting Duterte joined the demonstrations pushing for a revolutionary government because there are people who believe that such government would facilitate change.

“All of us have the right to express our own opinion,” he said.

While revolutionary governments at times come after a president or a leader has been ousted, in the case of those supporting this cause they are demanding that the sitting president, Duterte, implement it during his term.

“There is nothing wrong (with that). In other words, we are free to express our own opinion,” Aguirre added.

Some believe that a revolutionary government would hasten the shift to federalism.

But while there were those who support a revolutionary government, there are other groups that oppose the proposal because it is reportedly unconstitutional and undemocractic.

Critics said that the country would also be placed under Duterte’s one-man rule. 

Ateneo de Manila University president Jose Ramon Villarin has urged the public to reject proposals for a revolutionary government (RevGov), calling it a dangerous idea that could weaken democracy and the country’s institutions.

“The RevGov advocates are essentially tapping on growing discontent with the slow pace of much needed reforms in both our political and economic spheres. Perhaps unwittingly, they are in turn fueling an under-appreciation of reform gains and an over-emphasis on reform barriers,” Villarin said in a memorandum.

“However, the RevGov proposition has a key weakness – it has a very simplistic theory of change. It contends that concentrating power in the hands of a few would give them the means to execute the key reforms necessary to move the country forward,” he added.

Villarin said centralizing power in the hands of a few undermines democratic institutions, citing experience during the martial law regime.

In a separate letter, former De La Salle University president Jose Mari Jimenez urged the Lasallian community to defend the Constitution amid attempts to undermine its provisions. – Janvic Mateo, Gilbert Bayoran