MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers from the House of Representatives advised friends and allies of Vice President Sara Duterte to refrain from urging President Marcos to resign this early, saying it “reeks of early politicking.”
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that supporters of the previous administration, like Rep. (Pantaleon) Alvarez, are impatient and unwilling to wait for the presidential elections,” House Assistant Majority Leader Jefferson Khonghun of the first district of Zambales said.
In a statement, he said Alvarez and his group should avoid making statements showing they want Duterte to take over Malacañang even if Marcos still has more than four years to go.
Alvarez recently advised Marcos to step down as a way to “de-escalate the tension in the West Philippine Sea between the Philippines and China.”
“His (Alvarez’s) recent statements seem less about genuine concern for national strategy and more about orchestrating a shift in power before the due time. This rush betrays a disregard for the democratic electoral process and the will of the Filipino people,” Khonghun lamented.
House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre, for his part, stated that advising Marcos to step down at the height of escalating tensions with China over the West Philippine Sea, and turning over the reins of government to Duterte is a “misplaced, if not convoluted, sense of public duty.”
“Alvarez’s remarks are not only defeatist but dangerously naive. To suggest that President Marcos should resign in the face of aggression is to misunderstand the very essence of leadership and national sovereignty,” he said.
Acidre reminded Alvarez that this is the time the Philippines, led by Marcos, “must stand firm in defending our territorial integrity and uphold our rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
“Our focus on economic development and addressing societal issues does not preclude the protection of our national interests,” Acidre said.