Catholic Church leaders are strongly condemning the proposed revolutionary government by some supporters of President Duterte.

Bishop Ruperto Santos (CBCP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Archdiocese of Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo said the plan can be considered as “being a traitor to your own country and a clear violation of the Constitution.”

Pabillo sees it as a way for government officials to keep their posts. It is also very untimely with the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country.

“We have our Constitution that we need to respect and upheld. There is no reason for a revolutionary government. It is just a way for government officials to stay in power. Our Constitution specifies the succession of powers. This should be upheld and respected,” Pabillo said over Church-run Radio Veritas.

“Aside from being unjust, a revolutionary government can also be considered as immoral. That is seditious. That is being a traitor to the country,” Pabillo stressed.

For his part, Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad said, the government should just “focus on the pandemic, the on-going health crisis in the country instead of the setting up of a revolutionary government.”

“No to the revolutionary form of government. Besides, we are in the midst of a pandemic and the government is still functioning. Democracy is still the option even at this moment where there are varied opinions being aired out,” Jumoad said over the faith-based station.

Meantime, three Catholic prelates also opposed the call for a ‘Rev Gov’ for being "self-serving" especially since it came at a time when there's a public health crisis.

"This self serving plan of revolutionary government will just create chaos and mistrust to our people,"Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos said in an interview.

"Not only this is sedition but open admittance that the present government is total failure. They want to change the government just to install the same government officials. There is no sense, void of human reason. It is just like the maxim same dog different collar," he added.

Santos urged those pushing for such plan not to add anymore to the misery of the people.

Retired Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes warned something worst might happen if the plan pushes through.

"We Filipinos have already experienced bitterly a dictatorship. If this plan is pushed thru, the Filipinos will get impatient and something worse might happen!" he said.

Retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani, meantime, said those pushing for a revolutionary government are crazy.

"How crazy these people are who think of a revolutionary government to be led by Duterte…they are crazy!" he said.

On Saturday, some 300 people gathered at Clark Freeport to ask President Duterte to head the revolutionary government in a bid to hasten efforts to shift toward federalism before the end of his term. (Leslie Ann G. Aquino)

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