MANILA (UCAN): “You can say that to maintain the [political] equilibrium for all, consider me a candidate for the vice presidency at this time,” Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, declared in a July 1 speech on national television.
“It’s a matter of posturing, political posturing, so that they [his opponents] will not treat me as badly because I am already an outgoing official,” Duterte said.
Duterte’s remarks immediately drew flak, drawing accusations of trying to orchestrate a puppet president to replace him so that he could pull the strings as a de facto leader.
The president can only serve one term in office in the Philippines but the constitution does allow a former president to run as vice president.
Divine Word Father Flavie Villanueva said Duterte was being driven by a desire for absolute power.
“If this is not an abuse of power, this would surely be a deep craving and addiction,” he posted on social media.
“Absolute power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Father Villanueva said, quoting John Dalberg-Acton, the British lord and historian of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Seminarian, Gerard Lustre, said Duterte’s move came as no surprise as he had done something similar when he was mayor of Davao City in Mindanao.
In 2010, Duterte was elected vice mayor, succeeding his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who was elected as mayor.
“She became mayor in Davao City while he served as vice mayor. This was to break the cycle of a three-term limit. You can see how the Duterte family positions itself in politics,” Lustre said.
‘Absolute power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ Father Villanueva said, quoting John Dalberg-Acton, the British lord and historian of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
PDP–Laban, Duterte’s party, recently announced that it had urged Duterte to run for vice president and for him to choose his running mate as president. However, he said, “If I run for vice president and win and the president is not my ally, all I have to do is join the military and police in the fight against crime, drugs and all,” Duterte said.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
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Meanwhile, One Voice, an ecumenical group, released a statement on June 30 urging Duterte, not to threaten the families of the victims’ of the deadly war on drugs to keep them from submitting complaints to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC’s outgoing chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, formally requested on June 14 that the court in The Hague launch a formal investigation into Duterte’s alleged involvement in the killings (Sunday Examiner, June 27).
On June 28, the ICC called on the victims’ families to submit complaints.
One Voice said Duterte cannot escape liability for his crimes as the truth will always come out.
“You may hold power today but justice is not dead. In the end, truth and justice will prevail,” the statement said.
One Voice also demanded that Duterte and those who committed the killings be held accountable.
“Evil cannot be resolved by another evil. The government’s war on drugs is evil because it is orchestrated by the powerful to kill those who are poor and weak,” the group said, pointing out that while low-level drug suspects are being killed, no kingpins have ever been brought to justice.
Government figures point to at least 8,500 people having been killed, but some rights groups put the toll at three times that number.
