Official: Duterte wants term cut if Philippines goes federal

AP
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte salutes during a wreath-laying ceremony at the 71st Founding Anniversary of the Philippine Air Force at Villamor Air Base in suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines Tuesday, July 3, 2018. (AP)
  • There has been speculation that the new constitution is designed to allow Duterte to extend his six-year term beyond 2022

MANILA: The Philippine president’s spokesman says he wants a draft of a new constitution shifting the country into a federal system to require the election of a new leader before that change to cut short his presidency.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque says a committee, which submitted the 114-page draft federal constitution to President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, agreed to his request and would rewrite a provision. There has been speculation that the new constitution is designed to allow Duterte to extend his six-year term beyond 2022.
Roque quoted Duterte as saying, “It’s to remove all suspicions and I am tired. Ready to give it to somebody else.”
Roque said Duterte is ready to step down as early as next year if the overhaul of the country’s political system is approved.

Topics: Philippines