President Rodrigo Duterte is invoking the “Alunan doctrine” and ordered limiting the number of armed bodyguards of political candidates for the May 9, 2022 elections to only two – more than that, he said, would be considered a private army and would be disarmed.
In his regular Talk to the People late Monday night, the outgoing 77-year-old Duterte urged all candidates to follow the Alunan Doctrine that limits the number of a politician’s armed guards to two.
The Alunan doctrine was introduced by then Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III, who served during the presidency of Fidel Ramos from 1992 to 1998.
Having more than two bodyguards is considered as a private army that should be disarmed by the government, Duterte said.
“To those candidates, you limit yourself [to two bodyguards], and if you think that there is danger to your person in a certain place or a certain person, call the PNP regional director or the chief of police and talk to them to avoid any violence,” Duterte said.
“We have decided. I’ve communicated this with the Cabinet that rules should really be followed and the Alunan doctrine is better,” the President said in his taped public address.
He urged candidates to seek assistance from the Commission on Elections or from the police and the military when their safety might be in danger.
Duterte told law enforcement personnel to strictly implement it, as he warned that those who would violate the regulation would be arrested and prosecuted.
“I will arrest you and your bodyguards because I said that the fewer people with arms with you, the better,” he said.
The President reiterated his promise to ensure that elections would be free from cheating and violence.