MANILA- ‘Plots to oust Duterte will not succeed’
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MANILA, Philippines — The administration enjoys “overwhelming” public support and ouster plots against President Duterte will not succeed, Malacañang said yesterday as it assailed what it described as “power-hungry” destabilizers.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte continues to enjoy strong support from Filipinos despite criticisms against his policies, including his controversial war on drugs.
“We have no doubt that there are power-hungry individuals in the opposition who would like to resort to extra-constitutional means in putting down the government of President Duterte and we have no doubt that the Magdalo are addicted to coup d’etats,” Roque said, referring to a group of rebel soldiers who staged a mutiny and a siege in a Makati hotel against Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she was president.
“However… we are confident that we enjoy overwhelming support from the people and therefore what these groups would want to see – the ouster of President Duterte – would not happen,” Roque stressed.
Earlier, the military claimed that communist rebels were planning to destabilize the Duterte administration next month as part of international celebrations for communism and Marxism.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deputy chief for operations Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade claimed that the “Red October” plot remains even if a plan to oust Duterte by Sept. 21 failed to materialize.
Parlade claimed that opposition group Tindig Pilipinas withdrew from the unsuccessful plan after discovering that communist leaders were behind it.
The military official issued the statement days after Duterte claimed that communist rebels and the political opposition are conspiring to oust him.
Roque said the Palace has no doubt that Parlade’s statements were based on intelligence information.
“We have no doubt that the (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army) has been out to overthrow the government since they were founded,” Roque said.
“When you won by the margin that the President had in the elections and you have this kind of support as shown in surveys, they will have a hard time ousting the president,” he added.
Roque also claimed that many members of the opposition are “greedy for power” and could not wait for the next elections.
He also said a people power revolt would not work “when the people elected the President to a fixed term of office.”
“I also supported People Power. But we supported People Power in 1986 because the one who was ousted no longer had a mandate,” Roque said, referring to the popular revolt that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Roque reminded members of the opposition that Duterte defeated their candidate Manuel Roxas II by six million votes in 2016.
“Huwag na silang managinip ng People Power para matanggal si Presidente sa kanyang posisyon (They should stop dreaming that they can oust the President through People Power),” he said.
“Wait for the election. Run. That’s how democracy works,” he added.
The Filipino people would be the “offended party” if ouster plots against the administration succeed, according to Roque.
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Protecting the country
Exposing the plot to destabilize the government aims to protect the country, its people and its democratic institutions, the AFP said yesterday after revealing how the CPP is allegedly spearheading moves to oust Duterte and almost forged an alliance with opposition groups.
“By doing this, we are not protecting President Duterte per se. What we are protecting is our government, what we are protecting are the duly constituted authorities and our democratic way of life,” AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said.
The AFP’s efforts to expose such plans by the CPP must not be misunderstood or misconstrued, according to Arevalo, because the military is not against any legitimate exercise of the people’s freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly exercised within the bounds of law.
“Now, what are the actions taken by the AFP? First, what we did and we are still doing now is exposing plans of this broad coalition led by the CPP-NPA,” he told reporters in an interview at Camp Aguinaldo.
“Second, by this information that we are making public, we are hopeful that the public will be made aware of these plans and afford them this information that they will need for an informed decision,” Arevalo added.
“Third, we are looking at possible legal action that we can take against, of course, in relation with other agencies of government, when evidence and information are sufficient to warrant filing of cases,” he said.
Arevalo said the information the AFP possesses will also help in presenting the draft of a proposed executive order that will form a national task force for ending insurgency that seeks to “integrate and to harmonize all efforts of government agencies that are determined to solve the lingering issues that drive armed conflict.”
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‘AFP must prove report’
Meanwhile, Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday said the AFP must prove its report that communist rebels and opposition groups have forged an alliance, to dispel fears the administration is using the military to crack down on critics.
In separate statements, Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III said such reports coming from the AFP must be taken seriously.
Lacson said “whatever basis of the information that the AFP has in the alleged plot to unseat the President should not be taken lightly, it being a serious accusation.”
“If only for the fact that the AFP leadership itself has declassified such information, the onus to show proof rests on their shoulders,” he said.
Otherwise, opposition groups and the public cannot be blamed for suspecting that the AFP is engaging in some psychological operations to justify a crackdown as alleged by those opposing the policies of the administration in dealing with a wide range of issues ranging from human rights, even foreign relations, according to Lacson.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, reiterated the LP was not engaged in any plot to oust President Duterte and will “oppose any unconstitutional effort in this regard.”
“Intelligence reports based on paranoia and speculations are dangerous, if not deadly. It could target innocent people and critics voicing out their views and putting forward ways to help us get out of this mire,” Pangilinan said.
“The LP does not need to destabilize the administration that is shooting itself in the foot with the mismanagement of the economy,” he added.
The government should focus on stabilizing prices and availability of goods, especially safe and affordable NFA rice, not destabilizing plots, according to Pangilinan.
He said the LP will continue to oppose the anti-people policies of the administration through constitutional means.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Duterte was desperately linking the opposition to the alleged destabilization plot but “not admitting that he is actually the country’s ‘destabilizer-in-chief’.”
“If President Duterte is looking for destabilizers, he has only to look into a mirror,” Hontiveros said. – With Michael Punongbayan, Paolo Romero
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