MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker said that former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez should be charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for sedition after his "seditious statement.”
Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo (Camiguin) urged the DOJ to file charges against Alvarez after his pronouncement in an evening rally on Sunday. The latter urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to withdraw their support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying that “it would attain peace and stability.”
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Alvarez also said that Marcos’ position in the West Philippine Sea issue will drag the Philippines in a war against China.
“The response to the seditious statement should be the immediate filing of a criminal case so that the move to incite people, including the military, to rebel against the government will be nipped in the bud,” Romualdo said in a statement on Monday.
The solon stated that sedition involves actions, statements, or speech that encourage the public to oppose the state or its legitimate authorities.
“Clearly, what former Speaker Alvarez remarked during a rally in Tagum City falls within the purview of sedition,” he said.
The rally in Tagum City, Davao de Norte was attended by former President Rodrigo Duterte, who allegedly had a “gentleman's agreement” with Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, the son of the former president who resumed the war on drugs in the city last month, also attended the political rally.
In the rally, the younger Duterte downplayed the tensions in the West Philippine Sea saying it was a “propaganda” only to drag the Philippines in a potential war between China and the United States.
Alvarez, a Duterte ally, was appointed by the former president as House Speaker in 2016, a post where he served until 2018.
It can also be recalled that Alvarez supported Duterte’s previous call for a Mindanao secession.
In separate statements, two other lawmakers also called on Alvarez to be cautious with his words.
“I would kindly urge the former speaker to be cautious with his words and clear on his intent. At face value, his anti-government statements are unbecoming of a member of the House of Representatives and may warrant an ethics case against him,” Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo (Lanao del Norte, 1st District) said in a statement.
“The remarks of the former speaker are uncalled for. That is tantamount to sedition or rebellion,” Rep. Johnny Pimentel (Surigao del Sur, 2nd District ) also said in a separate statement.
In response, the DOJ said that it is studying the former speaker’s pronouncement.
“The Department is studying the matter. We must first see the full context of the statement to see if it indeed rises to the level of sedition,” DOJ spokesman Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said in a Viber message with reporters.
Aside from the DOJ, the Philippine National Police said it is also studying whether the former speaker is liable for sedition.
'We’ll follow the chain of command'
In response to Alvarez’s pronouncements, the AFP rejected the call to abandon Marcos.
“The AFP remains to be a professional organization. Our mandate is very clear. We will protect the Constitution, and we will follow the duly constituted authorities. In other words, we will follow the chain of command,” AFP Chief Romeo Brawner Jr. was quoted as saying during a forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines on Monday.