Roque to charter framers: Unless you want Leni as president, ensure polls in 2022

MANILA, Philippines — Unless they want Vice President Leni Robredo to be president, proponents of a new Constitution should ensure that there is a provision in the new charter that will allow the election of a new leader in 2022, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday.

In a press briefing at the Palace, Roque also advised framers of a new Constitution to consider extending the term of President Rodrigo Duterte out of the question following his order to security forces to gun him down should he stay in office a minute longer.

"Whatever transitory provision they come up with, consider him (Duterte) out of the question. I don't think majority would want constitutional succession, so they better provide for a transition that would mean that the president will step down in 2022," Roque told reporters in a mix of Filipino and English.

When asked to clarify what he meant with the majority rejecting constitutional succession, he said, "Unless they want Leni Robredo to take over as transitional leader, they should make a transitory provision that would, for all intents and purposes, make sure that we would have a new president in 2022."

Roque also shot down the possibility of other officials extending their stay in office, saying no one should aspire for a term extension as the president had already expressed his disdain for the idea.

On Monday, speaking during the launch of an agriculture program for soldiers in Compostela Valley, Duterte ordered security forces to shoot him if he remained in office beyond his six-year term.

“That’s your job, to protect the Constitution and the people. If I exceed even a day, shoot me,” he said.

Duterte's allies in Congress floated the possibility of extending Duterte's term beyond 2022 and of canceling the midterm elections in 2019 as efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution came underway.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who is aiming to submit the draft of a new Constitution in May, said that 2019 elections might not be necessary since the shift to a federal form of government would take effect immediately.

Roque, in past statements, has insisted that Duterte is not interested in perpetuating himself in power, a possibility that worries the opposition.

He said that the president in fact was already looking forward to his retirement in 2022.

Duterte has also expressed willingness to retire early should a Constitution which is suitable to the way of life of Filipinos is enacted.