Senators on Wednesday reiterated their opposition to revive discussions on the proposal to establish a revolutionary government in the country saying such moves would only divide the nation.

“We shouldn’t even discuss it now. We have so many problems. Revolutionary government is a dictatorship plain and simple,” Senator Richard Gordon said in an interview on ANC Headstart.

“Kawawa ang tao diyan. I would oppose that, I am squarely against it, and I like that our other colleagues are also against it,” Gordon further said.

“We will lose the respect of the world and our economy will go down as it did during the time of Mr. Marcos,” the senator stressed referring to former President Ferdinand Marcos.

President Duterte had earlier said he is amenable to a public discussion on any proposed changes in government including the controversial call for a revolutionary government that a certain group supporting him has earlier initiated.

But the Chief Executive denied involvement in any moves to install a revolutionary government and disowned the group behind it, insisting that the Palace is focused on addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, other senators also did not like the President’s sudden openness to discuss the proposed revolutionary government.

“There is nothing to discuss about a revolutionary government. There is absolutely no justification nor legal basis for it. It is a very dangerous proposition. It is divisive and could plunge the country into social unrest and even civil war,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said in a text message to reporters.

Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara recalled that the last time the country was under a revolutionary government was in 1986 during the EDSA Revolution.

He also recalled that attempts to install a revolutionary government during the time of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s had been a chaotic time for the country and eventually contributed to the collapse of the economy.

“Hindi naging maganda ang karanasan ng bansa—bumagsak ang ekonomiya, sumama ang lagay ng lahat (Our experience as a nation was not good—our economy collapsed and everything took a downturn),” Angara said.

“Bahagi ng pag-mature natin bilang isang bansang demokratiko ang pagtanggap ng pamumuhay sa ilalim ng Saligang Batas. Kasama dito ang pangingibabaw ng civilian rule kaysa sa batas o lakas militar (Part of our maturity as a democratic nation is to accept living our lives following the Constitution. And this includes upholding civilian rule rather than military rule),” he added.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said whatever open discussion that needs to be done now should be on how the government will overhaul its COVID-19 response “which is marred with incompetence, corruption, and five months into the pandemic, is headed nowhere.”

“How to address the deaths, the spread of the disease, hunger and joblessness is the immediate concern of our citizens and not the irrelevant revolutionary government discussion,” Pangilinan said.

“Dagdag sa problema at hindi solusyon sa problema yang revolutionary government na yan (talks of a revolutionary government will just add more problems and not solution to the country’s most pressing problems),” the lawmaker stressed.