Duterte: I support Cha Cha as long as…

Former President Rodrigo Duterte

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday that he had no problem with amending the Constitution as long as it would not be in favor of the incumbent president.

Duterte said this in his speech during the prayer rally in Cebu City on Sunday, February 25.

READ: Cha-Cha: Cebu coalition says no to Charter Change

He reiterated that he was ‘okay’ with the proposed Charter Change (Cha Cha) “as long as it would not be intended to benefit the incumbent (president).”

“Buot pasabot, si Marcos, kutob ra diha sa one term, six years. Ug i-amend niya ang Constitution, join him and I will operate with him but dili na applicable sa iya,” Duterte said.

(This means, Marcos, will only have one term, six years. And he will amend the Constitution, join him and I will operate with him but it should not be applicable to him.)

READ: Rama: I don’t like people’s initiative; Marcos, Duterte, do your job

He said, if President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would amend the Constitution so that he could run for the next election, that would be the problem.

He noted since Marcos was elected under the Constitution for one term or six years, that should be it.

“Diha ra kutob,” he said.

(That should only end there.)

READ: Chacha out of the woodwork again despite past failure, lack of people’s trust

Moreover, Duterte said he would support the Cha Cha if Marcos would commit to the people that he would not run again in the next election.

Duterte said it would also be impossible to gather enough signatures through the signature campaign or People’s Initiative (PI), saying it would be very “hard to do.”

Based on the recent data of World Bank, the Philippines has 113,880,328 population.

READ: Why—or why not—Cha-cha?

RRD to BBM: Be comfortable, contented

The former president said the Constitution was “sacred” and if there would be provisions in the Constitution that would provide duration of the president’s term, that should not be changed.

“If there is a time limit, stick to it. Don’t f*** it,” Duterte said.

He added he would tell Marcos: “Mr. President, you were elected under a Constitution for one term of six years, be happy with that. Pakalipay ka na lang, naa ka man. Gisuwat man sa Ginoo, gitagaan ka’g grasya nga naka-silbi ka imong yuta’ng natawhan sama sa imong amahan (Marcos Sr.) pero ayaw’g sunda iyang giagian kay mapandol gyud ta diha.”

(Mr. President, you were elected under a Constitution for one term of six years, be happy with that. Just be happy with that, you are already there. God has written that, you have been given a blessing to serve your land of birth like your father (Marcos Sr.) but don’t follow his path because you trip there.)

Duterte also told Marcos “to be comfortable and content[ed].”

“Tapusin mo lang ang byahe mo then bitawan (Just end your trip and then let go), and let the Constitution work,” the former president said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte during his speech in the prayer rally on Sunday, Feb. 25

Despite everything that he commented regarding the Cha-Cha, Duterte said he hoped that Marcos would “do well” in the remaining years of his term as the president.

He added if there would be Cha Cha, it should be “applicable to the future president.”

“The future president under the new Charter, and he gets to be elected for the second time or the third or the fourth whatever, nasa Pilipino na ‘yan , pero (it would be with the Filipino, but) it must be in accordance with the Constitution,” Duterte said.

He noted that the Constitution would be the “one thing” that would hold the Filipinos together.

Thousands of Duterte supporters attended the seven-hour prayer rally at the Kasadya in the South Road Properties which ended in the midnight of Feb. 26.