Philippine Senate election: ‘Imperial Manila’ looks safe from Duterte … for now
Critics fear the president’s pledge to break the grip of the central government is just another move towards authoritarian rule. But analysts say they needn’t fear – to make good on his promise he will need an unlikely 12-0 victory
That’s according to analysts, who have some bad news for the strongman leader: his chances of doing so are “nearly nil”.
One of the election promises that swept Duterte to power in 2016 was his pledge to replace the country’s highly centralised, presidential form of government with a federal system in which the country’s 17 administrative regions would become autonomous states.
But to fulfil that promise Duterte will have to scrap much of the 1987 Constitution, a move the Constitution says would require the backing of 18 of the 24 senators. Critics say the provisions for Duterte’s proposed constitution (drafted by his hand-picked committee) would impose something more akin to authoritarian rule, while his plans have also come under fire for relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership of land and on joint ventures on oil exploration with foreign governments such as China.
At present, he is thought to be able to rely only on nine or 10 senators, and the terms of three of his allies – Gregorio Honasan, Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero – will expire next year, leaving him as few as six guaranteed allies.
That means for Duterte to reach the magic number 18, his allies would need to win every one of the 12 seats up for election on May 13 next year.