Plotters also out to assassinate Duterte, warns supporter
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 07 May 2019 07:30:34 +0000
THE destabilization efforts against President Rodrigo Duterte includes an alleged plan to assassinate the Chief Executive, an official of the Dakilang Lahi Foundation said on Tuesday.
Castelo, a former Quezon City councilor and now president of the foundation, made the statement as he called on Filipinos to pray for Duterte’s safety.
“I strongly believe that there’s a serious ‘Oust Duterte’ plot now in full-swing that may include the assassination of the president as an option,” Castelo said in a statement.
“We must pray for the safety of the President and protection our country,” he said.
Castello’s statement came weeks after the matrix linking several journalists to a supposed ouster plot against Duterte was published on The Manila Times and later released by the Palace.
Among those tagged in the matrix were the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, and media organizations Vera Files, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Rappler, which have been critical of the administration.
Written by the paper’s chairman and Duterte appointee Dante Ang, the Times’ report said that media practitioners allegedly planted fake news to “manipulate public emotion, touch base with the Leftist organization, enlist the support of the police and the military, then go for the ‘kill’.”
The groups tagged in the supposed ouster plot had denied the allegations and slammed the Duterte administration for putting the lives of journalists and human rights lawyers in danger.
Castelo, one of the country’s Original Pilipino Music icons, said that “history tells us that the most appropriate time for perpetrators to execute a plan to unseat a president in office, is when people are divided-right around a national election period.”
“We’ve seen this happen during the time of (former) president (Ferdinand) Marcos in 1986 and (former) president (Joseph) Estrada in 2001 — where a planned assassination of both presidents were indeed an option, it just did not materialize,” Castelo said.
He also said the so-called “Oust Duterte” plot “was hatched early on and has been in motion since the President’s first day in office in 2016.
“However, for this plot to succeed, it must have (1) public support — the President’s popularity remains at a record high, (2) military backing; the President is a darling of the military, and (3) US support; a brilliant tactician and expert in geo-politics that he is, the President has played his cards well between the US and other major powers in the region,” he said.
Castelo also said that “exposes, reported local and foreign media collusion, foreign meddling,” were “all part of a grand destabilization plot aimed at removing President Duterte from office.”
But Castelo expressed fear that “the perpetrators, in a desperate move, may opt to use its last card — to assassinate the President.”
“Let us remain vigilant as we pray for the safety of the president and protection of country’s gains since the President took office,” Castelo said.
“This nation has been blessed with a strong and decisive leader in the person of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte…Let him continue the great job he’s doing for our country — for the benefit of present and future generations of Filipinos,” he added.
Sought for comment, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo urged Castelo to show evidence to prove his claims.
“Sana (I hope) he can provide us with more information or should provide the police and other law enforcement agencies about the threat on assassination,” Panelo said during a press briefing.
But the Palace official said the supposed plan to kill Duterte was nothing new since it was public knowledge that the Chief Executive has made many enemies for fulfilling his mandate as the President.
He also expressed confidence that the Presidential Security Group (PSG) was doing its job to ensure that the President was free from harm.
“Alam mo basta Presidente ka palaging may threat, palaging may threat sa kalaban, maraming (You know if you’re the president, you always face threat, and there’s always a threat from your enemies, many) enemies of the state. But so far naman ok naman yung PSG security group (the PSG is doing its job),” Panelo said.
“The PSG knows their job, the PSG guys. Tsaka another thing alam mo (you know) this President couldn’t care less whether you assassinate him. Yun nga ang kagandahan sa Presidenteng ito eh, (That’s what’s really good about the President, he’s a) daredevil. He dares everyone, eh di patayin niyo kung gusto niyo basta (you can kill me if you want but) I’ll work, that’s my mandate,” he added.
It was not the first time that the possibility of an assassination plot against Duterte was raised.
In his previous speeches, the President himself bared the alleged assassination plot by the United States’ (US) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against him.
In April 2018, Duterte said that the CIA “should be the one to blame” if in case the plane he is riding on explodes and he gets killed.
The Commander-in-Chief, in October 2017, also claimed he received reports that the CIA was planning to kill him.
The allegations of Duterte has repeatedly been denied by the US, with its Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim saying: “There is no absolutely no effort by the CIA to undermine the Philippines’ leadership.” CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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