Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, elected on a firebrand populist ticket, is threatening to install a full-fledged authoritarian regime in response to rising criticism of his policies, including a lethal drug war that has cost thousands of lives.
“Once your destabilization is already creating chaos, I will not hesitate to declare a revolutionary government until the end of my term,” Duterte recently warned his critics.
Rather than declaring martial law nationwide, a rights-curbing move many feared he might impose in response to the Islamic State siege on the southern city of Marawi, Duterte has instead upped the ante by proposing to suspend the entire constitution.
Duterte has repeatedly claimed that a conspiratorial cabal of oligarchs, drug syndicates and liberal elites are sabotaging his policies and bent on overthrowing his popularly elected government.
A so-called revolutionary government would pave the way for a new regime that, Duterte and his supporters contend, would overhaul the country’s broken politics that have long been ravaged by corruption, ineffectual leadership and outsized family dynasties.
Typically, the tough-talking leader and his top lieutenants later downplayed and disowned the threat. But it’s increasingly clear that Duterte’s move towards authoritarianism is intensifying with the country’s political polarization.
His supporters are already testing the waters. On November 30, thousands of staunch Duterte supporters marked the birthdate of Filipino revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio by flocking to the streets of Manila. They openly urged Duterte to declare a revolutionary government which would install “extraordinary measures” to fix a “failed system.”
Among the proposals is installment of an Internal Security Act (ISA) — similar to authoritarian Malaysia and Singapore — to allow government authorities to more expeditiously crack down on perceived enemies of the state. Network Revolution, a coalition of Duterte supporters calling for de facto regime change, organized the rally.
Perturbed by Duterte’s supporters’ brazen calls for suspension of democratic rights and institutions, thousands of leftist activists also took to the streets to vehemently oppose what they see as an incipient march towards dictatorship.
“The use of revolutionary government branding in order to support his own coup is a mockery of the revolution itself,” declared Kabataan Partylist, a coalition of left-leaning activists tied to the Philippine communist movement.
Other critics dismissed the revolutionary government proposal as blatant “lust for wealth and power of the pro-Duterte clique of the ruling elite.”
To justify the controversial proposal, Duterte claimed that the late president and democratic icon Corazon “Cory” Aquino made a similar move in the immediate aftermath of the Marcos dictatorship’s downfall.
He failed, however, to mention that Aquino took power after the 1986 “People Power Revolution” and shortly thereafter installed a democratic constitution.
Throughout the transition, when she could have theoretically wielded absolute power, Aquino provided “guarantees of civil, political, human, social, economic and cultural rights and freedoms of the Filipino people” via an executive order, namely proclamation number 3.
The subsequent 1987 constitution, which was drafted by elected representatives, was to become one of the most progressive and liberal legal documents anywhere in the world.
In contrast, Duterte is a democratically elected president within an existing regime. His proposal for a ‘revolutionary government’ will likely mean full concentration of power in his hands, as well as dramatic erosion of basic civil liberties and democratic institutions.
Duterte’s proposal more accurately echoes former strongman Ferdinand Marcos’ opportunistic declaration of martial law in 1971, supposedly in response to terrorist attacks, to install a constitutional dictatorship.
The Filipino president’s alliance with the Marcos family, and his constant praise of the former disgraced dictator, has only reinforced fears that he is intent on regime change that ends the country’s hard-earned democracy.
Duterte has warned the political opposition that he “will arrest all of you,” and won’t hesitate to launch a “full-scale war against the [communists]” amid the recent breakdown in peace negotiations with the insurgent group.
Like Marcos, Duterte has effectively declared war on both the communists and the liberal opposition.
Still, the president’s biggest obstacle to establishing a new regime is the powerful military, which he doesn’t fully control. If anything, the Philippine security establishment has emerged as the unlikely guardian of the country’s democratic order.
In defiance of their commander-in-chief, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Rey Leonardo Guerrero expressed their opposition to the revolutionary government idea during recent discussions with Vice President Leni Robredo, widely regarded as the democratic opposition’s leader.
“Both [Lorenzana and Guerrero] assured us in no uncertain terms that they would not support a revolutionary government and any other threat to the constitution,” Robredo claimed in an interview in early November. “[w]e were assured – and the assurance was strong – that they would not support such a plan.”
The military and defense sector’s unambiguous opposition may thus explain Duterte’s dithering and contradictory stance on the issue.
Yet it’s far from clear for how long the Philippine military and democratic forces in the country can constrain Duterte’s clearly articulated authoritarian ambitions in what is becoming the country’s most uncertain political era in recent memory.
Lol name me one country that isn’t corrupt and that includes the U.S. which has more or last had their presidents bought by going clear back to JP Morgan and his gang or the hundreds of millions perhaps a billion or two which went into the last election and congress is no better..
I was about to post "Ferdinand Marcos revisited" recalling how at a time of national crisis Marcos (originally elected President by popular vote) used his constitutional powers to declare martial law – then turned out to be corrupt on a monumental scale – having failed to solve a single one of the country’s problems in the interim. Duterte’s admiration of Marcos is therefore ominous.
To give Duterte the benefit of the doubt though: if he is true to his image of the honest cop then he might turn out to be more comparable to Italy’s dictator of yore Benito Mussolini; a ruthless autocrat for sure but one who both kept his hand out of the till and earnestly endeavoured to solve his nation’s problems. However, while being non-corrupt himself he did not end Italy’s sad custom of corruption in public life. Post WW2 Italy’s has been steeped in it. I do not believe that Duterte, as dictator, will be any more successful.
Vince Cheok: you blame the endemic corruption and mismanagement on the Americans and they with their ethos of money ("every man has his price" – one of their pet sayings) probably did not help. But many overlook the fact that before the 40 years of US administration The Philippines spent over 300 years as part of the Spanish empire. Spain left an indelible mark on the country by bequeathing an oligarchic social structure that closely resembles those of Latino republics like Columbia and Venezuela. Not one country with a Hispanic legacy is free of corruption in public life. In the Philippines this heritage might not be so obvious as it is in the Spanish speaking American republics but believe me, it is still there.
Getting rid of the drug barons and corruption without a revolutionary government is important for future of democracy.
bullshit article, it was his supporters who urge him to have a revolution. He himself said that there is no need for a revolutionary government.
Vince Cheok I agree. I have lived in the Philippines for many years, it is a very nice country. The Philippine people has been exploited by the super rich. The 1% is super rich, then you have 19% Middle class, and 80% struggle from day to day.
The Philippines is a very rich country, it is only the Filipino people who is poor. They have a lot of natural and human resources that make it ideal for investments. Drugs has created a crime wave and terrorists has scared away tourism in the South. The Philippines has a huge potential. Corruption will gradually go away when salary increases. PNP is very corrupt in some districts, but in other districts they are good officers.
Anyway, President Duterte has taken steps in the right direction. Banning open mining (due to environmental concerns), family planning is now allowed, war on drugs, war on terrorism, and I hope the war on corruption will be a success.
I like your comment. Your opening statement is so true. There is not one single nation in Asia, except maybe Singapore, which I have not read or heard about as plagued by rampant corruption. It is very hard to get rid off. But when you succeed, like President Xi of China, you are looked upon as God or heaven sent.
When I was a young boy, in geography lessons, I was taught that the Philippines was the richest country in SE Asia. But the Americans have taught Philippines nothing but corruption and things that have no meaning in an Asian context.
And the Overseas Chinese business clique in Philippines as elsewhere in SE Asia have been the main force ‘paying’ and ‘fostering’ corruption of the local chiefs and leaders. It takes two to tango – an itchy palm and someone to grease it.
To the credit of the Filipinos that I have got to know over the years, they are the best singers and musicians, and they have this unique quality that other Asians do not have, they have this endearing sense of humour that they can laugh at their poverty and foibles.
Rather than having resilience through being stoic and frugal and reticent in demeanour, they have it through faith and hope in mutually sharing laughter and tears and song and dance to pull each other through.
Their love songs are just simply stupendous!
The Philippines need changes FAST. The corruption problem is unresolved and is depriving the country for vital revenues in collection of taxes. The corruption reduces both domestic and foreign investments. A MAJOR cleanup in the Bureau of Customs is overdue. Bureau of Immigration (BI) is too infested with corruption and scandals. The BI detention center (BID) in Taguig City, is an inhumane concentration camp, infested with rats and roaches. There limited access to medical assistance and no medicine. Some detainees terminally ill have two choices, pay or die. BID is a disaster for the image of the Philippines as a nation who welcomes tourism and investments.
Anyone, who read Philippines has noticed the ridiculous endless soap opera made by Senator Trillanes. Senator Trillanes must be the most destructive Senator in the history of the Philippines. Most of his time goes to suing his colleagues and make conspiracy. The Senate seems to be in a gridlock and some of the Senators do not work for the best interest for the Philippines, but work for Oligarchs, drug syndicates, and the US State Department.
Important President Duterte get full power to continue his quest against drugs. Foreign entities have been concerned about human rights issues. They completely forget about the two million drugs addict’s Filipinos under rehabilitation, saved from a miserable life and an early death. They forget eighty-five AFP/PNP has lost their lives in shoot-outs with the drug dealers, and they mix in those killed by vigilantes and criminals. A complete orchestrated deformation of the truth. To cave in to please foreign busybodies would be like leaving a bridge half built. The rehabilitation of drug addicts will reduce the crime rate and make tourism more attractive.
To concentrate more power to President Duterte sounds like a good idea. A ship can not have many Captains creating confusion. President Duterte has done a great job so far, but the results would have been even better if he had more power. President Duterte has made the Philippines a truly Sovereign nation.