Rodrigo Duterte again channels late dictator Ferdinand Marcos by calling for Philippines’ name to be changed

Duterte said the Philippines’ name should be changed to “Maharlika” which refers to nobles in the local language, reviving the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ proposal. Philippines is a reminder of the country’s colonial past, having been derived from Spain’s King Philip II, he said.

Senate President Tito Sotto, however, seemed cool to Duterte’s idea, which the lawmaker said may entail rewriting the Constitution identifying the Philippines as the country’s name.

“It will require too many changes,” he said in a mobile-phone message on Tuesday.

Duterte has also been pushing for changes to the nation’s charter, primarily to install a federal form of government.

“Someday, let’s change it,” Duterte said after distributing land titles in the Muslim-majority southern province of Maguindanao. “Marcos was right. He wanted to change it to Maharlika, because that’s a Malay word which means more of a concept of serenity and peace.”