Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said the administration has not discussed any plan to declare a revolutionary government, thus President Rodrigo Duterte’s threats to do so shouldn’t be taken literally.
Saying Duterte often resorts to hyperbole and figures of speech, Cayetano noted that Cabinet members “always take the President seriously, but not always literally,” and that the Chief Executive always mentions an aside or a precondition when he speaks.
The former senator, who was Duterte's running mate in the 2016 elections, said a revolutionary government is “very far” from reality despite the President saying over the weekend he would declare it if his critics tried to topple his government.
“I’ll let [the President] speak for himself but I don’t think—I’ve been in a lot of meetings, I’m in the security cluster, there’s no plan whatsoever that’s on the table,” Cayetano said.
Declaring a revolutionary government was not a threat on Duterte’s part, but “just an expression,” the foreign affairs chief said.
“It’s his feeling that he wants the best for the Filipino, and [Duterte would act on it] unless those who are powerful in our country stop acting in their own interests and start acting for the common good,” Cayetano added.
Senator Panfilo Lacson likewise said Duterte’s statement shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said they would not support the staging of a revolutionary government.