"Bago pa sumobra, gusto ko magdiktador, barilin ninyo ako," said Duterte.
(Even before it gets out of hand, if I want to become a dictator, shoot me.) He said it was the "solemn duty" of the military and police to "protect the Constitution."
"If I extend my term even by just one day, I am now asking the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP (Philippine National Police) not to allow me or anybody else to mess up with the Constitution," said Duterte.
He even instructed soldiers to use up all their ammunition to neutralize him if he stays President longer than the Constitution allows. Duterte's allies, including Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, said it may be "necessary" for the President to extend his term during the transitory period when the country adopts a federal form of government.
The President's order for him to be shot if he violates the Constitution may be an empty threat if a new Constitution, ratified by the Filipino people, allows him to still be president.
The original article was published in rappler.com.
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