Let Duterte run again as president — Alvarez

MANILA, Philippines — Inspired by Donald Trump’s reelection as US president, Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez wants his friend, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to run again and be reelected as president in 2028.

“Let him run. Let the people decide and if there is a legal issue, let the courts resolve it,” Alvarez said in a statement.

A provision in the 1987 Constitution limits presidents to one fixed six-year term without reelection.

The provision is an offshoot of the dictatorship of the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who perpetuated himself in power for 20 years until his ouster in 1986.

“The President shall not be eligible for any reelection,” the Constitution states.

But Alvarez, whom Duterte backed as House speaker in mid-2016 until he was ousted in July 2018, believes the prohibition refers only to consecutive presidential terms.

“It refers to the sitting or incumbent president not allowed for reelection,” he stated.

“That shouldn’t apply to our former president because he is no longer incumbent. He can still run as president. As you can see, lawmakers grilled the ex-president for 13 long hours, but he still ended up strong. His heart is in the right place,” Alvarez said, referring to the quad committee’s investigation on Duterte’s drug war.

The presidential reelection issue was raised before the Supreme Court in 2010 when former president Joseph Estrada, following a presidential pardon for his September 2007 conviction for plunder, joined the May 2010 presidential race, wherein he finished second to Benigno Aquino III.

But the high tribunal left the question hanging, saying the issue had been rendered moot with Aquino’s victory.

“Look at our senators. They can always run after their consecutive terms. The people are allowed to decide whether they want the senator to be reelected. In the US, look at President Trump; he was reelected. If we really believe in democracy, then let the people decide,” Alvarez said.

US presidents are allowed two four-year terms.

No Duterte bank waiver

Meanwhile, the quad committee is not expecting any bank waiver that Duterte has promised to them during his testimony before the committee last week, Laguna 1st District Rep.Dan Fernandez said yesterday.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News, Fernandez noted that Duterte had changed his tune and said he would need his wife’s consent since the bank account is conjugal.

“On the issue about the bank waiver, the second day has already passed and it was not signed. There were many reasons that he cited. We are not expecting it anymore,” Fernandez said.

“We are expecting the waiver to be signed. But he has a pronouncement about his wife. He will not really sign the waiver. We are waiting for the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) also,” he added.

Fernandez said if Duterte is really determined to sign a waiver, he should have signed the document right at the hearing of the quad comm that he attended last week.

“We are depending on (former deputy ombudsman) Art Carandang about this issue on the money in banks. We are trying to find out the whereabouts of Carandang,” Fernandez said.

He stated the quad comm’s investigation on the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that allegedly transpired during Duterte’s presidency is already done.

“For me, the EJK probe is already finished. Most likely, we will start tackling Duterte’s Executive Order 13 on POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operators), which has not been tackled yet. If ever we are tackling POGO, we might invite him again,” Fernandez said.

Since all of Duterte’s testimonies were made under oath, the former president’s inconsistencies could constitute perjury, Fernandez said.

“He was under oath. If you closely look at it, there was perjury. He is really liable to his statement that he delivered to quad comm. We are here to find out what laws we can file and legislate in connection with the hearing,” he explained.

He added the invitation of the quad comm to Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Bong Go is “open-ended.”

“It’s really up to them if they want to be present. If they don’t want to attend, it’s their prerogative,” he said.

He said the quad comm is running out of time.

“We have until Dec. 16 (for the regular Congress sessions). After Nov. 28, we have two more remaining hearings. On our return to Congress on Jan. 15, it will be the start of the campaign period already. We might find it difficult to get a member of quad comm to attend the hearing,” he stated.

Meanwhile, he said that they moved the scheduled hearing of quad comm on Thursday to next week, Nov. 28.

The hearing next Thursday of the House committee on good government and public accountability chaired by Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua will tackle Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged misuse of P612.5-million confidential intelligence funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she was the department’s former secretary.

Meanwhile, human rights group Karapatan yesterday called on the Department of Justice to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation into thousands of drug war-related killings under Duterte.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said ignoring the ICC’s ongoing probe, launched in 2018, would delay justice for victims and allow the process “to be manipulated” by the camp of Duterte.

“The ICC investigation into extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s drug war has been ongoing. Ignoring this reality will prolong the agony of families seeking justice for their loved ones,” Palabay said in a statement. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Mark Ernest Villeza