DAVAO CITY (August 2)– A member of the Constitution Consultative Committee fired back to the critics who are raising the specter of dictatorship under the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Commissioner Antonio B. Arellano, during the Federalism Road Show media forum on Wednesday at Davao City Hall, expressed his grief over the rumors being spread by the critics, without supporting evidence to prove their claim.
“Dictatorial, the President will become authoritarian under this new constitution? That is a big lie,” he said.
Arellano said that under the draft of the new constitution, the executive powers are distributed to 18 regional federated governors who are chief executives in their respective regions, unlike the present unitary form of government where the executive power is solely given to the president.
“What dictatorial power are they talking about? That the president is concentrating power under this constitution is a big lie,” he said.
Arellano said that Duterte even asked the committee to prohibit him in running if the constitution will soon be implemented. “If you go to article 22 of the Transitory Provisions… Section 1, the term of the president and the vice president meaning President Duterte and Vice President (Leni) Robredo which shall end on June 30, 2022 shall not be extended, period,” he added.
Earlier, former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said that shifting to federalism may be a prelude to martial law, as the terms of current public officials will be back to zero under a new charter.
Under section 2, the incumbent president is prohibited for running as President in 2022.  “Section 3 also states: Within six months from the ratification of the constitution, the president shall call for an election for the transition president and vice president in tandem, meaning if you vote for a president, it will also vote the tandem vice president,”Arellano pointed out.
He added that it is now the time to change the present form of the government because for 30 years, the progress are only felt in the central capital of the country and not in the countryside. Armando Fenequito/ NewsLine
