President Rodrigo Duterte warned in a PTV interview over the program Sa Totoo Lang that alleged moves to destabilize the government, mainly by the communist rebels, may force his hand at declaring a revolutionary government.
“And I will arrest all of you. And we can go into a full-scale war, against the reds,” he continued. “Preparado ako. Kaya ako nagdagdag na ng sundalo (I am prepared. That’s why I have beefed up the troops.”
Duterte alluded to outfits that he accused of receiving funding from the United States Central Intelligence Agency: “Akala mo nationalistic ang mga ito pero (You thought they were nationalistic, but) all along funded by the CIA to destabilize the nation … Hindi na kayo nahiya nagpapabayad kayo ng pera (Shame, selling yourself) to destabilize a country.”
He added that he will no longer go through the motions of declaring martial law, because of the bother of reporting to Congress for it.
He warned: “If I think you are about to take over the nation, or you have destabilized government, na parang may papalit na bago (that there is going to be a takeover), I will not hesitate to declare a revolutionary government – until the end of my term.”
