Duterte: Military, rebels working together to oust me
It might be a loose conspiracy but they are into it.
President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday said he would make public the evidence that would prove the supposed connivance of the communists and the opposition, including Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, in trying to oust him.
In a one-on-one talk with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Duterte said he has already requested that the documents about the alleged ouster plot against him be declassified.
He insisted that there was a “loose conspiracy” among the opposition, Liberal Party, communist group, and Magdalo group led by Trillanes to oust him by October.
“Sison, Magdalo, and other opposition who cannot accept me ever since the election, they have combined and we have evidence. And we have the conversation provided by a foreign country sympathetic to us,” he said.
“The connection will be shown maybe any day now. I asked that it be declassified and show them everything,” Duterte said.
Last Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that there was an ouster plot by the Communist Party of the Philippines led by founder Jose Maria Sison, but said they have not verified reports of the communists’ connivance with Trillanes and the Liberal Party (LP).
The LP last Sunday denied it was conniving with Trillanes and the communists to remove Duterte from office. The opposition party also branded Duterte’s claim as baseless, stressing that it remains truthful to the 1987 Constitution.
Also on Sunday, Trillanes denied Duterte’s allegation, saying that the Chief Executive was merely being “paranoid.”
The President, however, maintained that the three parties are in “constant communication” to successfully remove him from office.
“They were in constant communication. They are. It might be a loose conspiracy but they are into it,” he said.
“Basta iyang yellow (LP) iyan may grupo diyan na nakadikit kay Sison at si Trillanes, may personal contact. Alam na ng military iyan (The yellows [LP] have partymates who are close to Sison and Trillanes. They have personal contact with them. The militay knows that),” Duterte added.
In Cebu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-Centcom) and Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 debunked talks of a destablization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.
AFP-Centcom spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said there were no conflicts within their ranks but they are looking into the side of the CPP-NPA-NDF.
“Wala namang destabilization plot. Yung sa left sa CPP-NPA-NDF na gusto nilang i-oust si presidente I don’t think they can gather strength kasi walang kakayahan ang kabila (they don’t have the capability) but we monitor their plan,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar said that they continue to rally behind Duterte, who is their commander-in-chief, and assured that there are no factions within the AFP.
“We don’t have a problem within the AFP. The Armed Forces remain united and strong,” he said.
With the positive perception of the civilians towards the soldiers and the hike in their salaries, Aguilar said they have high morale.
He said that the Visayas continues to be peaceful under their watch.
Supt. Reyman Tolentin, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 7, said that they are grateful for the support of the president.
“Sa among hanay sa kapulisan (On our part), I think there’s no logical reason to destabilize the government because we have the President’s all-out support,” he said.
“We have a very high morale now compared to the previous administrations,” he said.