(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday named the three people he said were behind the ouster plot against him.
“Look, prangka tayo..They want me ousted. Who’s behind it? Itong si Trillanes, sundalo mabuti pang security guard to, and his ilk,” Duterte said, referring to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Aside from being a critic of Duterte and his policies, Trillanes is a member of the Magdalo group that has filed an impeachment complaint against the popular President on five grounds: His alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, supposed engagement in bribery, alleged betrayal of public trust, alleged act of graft and corruption, and supposed other high crimes.
The group noted what they said were the state-sponsored killings, Duterte’s alleged employment of the so-called Davao Death Squad when he was mayor, and his alleged bank accounts with transactions supposedly amounting to around P2.2 billion.
“De Lima, Robredo also behind ouster plot”
“Sino isa. Si De Lima. Gusto na niya ako paalisin,” he said
Even while detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since her arrest in February, Senator Leila de Lima has found ways to criticize Duterte and his administration–via handwritten letters she sends out to the media.
She is detained in connection with drug-related cases filed against her in Branches 204, 205 and 206 of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court.
The cases stem from her alleged involvement in the ilkegal drug trading in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary.
She is also facing a disobedience to summons case at the Quezon City Metropolitan Court, after she admitted to telling her alleged bagman Ronnie Dayan not to attend House hearings into the drug trade in the national penitentiary last year.
“Pangatlo si Leni. Natural. Bakit pa sya maghintay kung andyan ang opportunity,” Duterte noted, referring to Vice President Robredo.
Duterte only recently began publicly stating Robredo was one of those behind plans to oust him after a video of her criticizing his drug war before the international community surfaced last week.
In the almost-six-minute video shown in a United Nations event in Vienna, Austria, Robredo said the people were becoming “hopeless and helpless” as bodies supposedly continued to pile up.
She also noted a “palit-ulo scheme” that she says sees a member of a drug suspect’s family arrested in his or her place if he or she was not at home when the police arrived.
The PNP has denied Robredo’s version of the scheme.
Even then, Duterte called on his supporters to refrain from resorting to ousting people.
“Sabi ko, ‘Guys, we just had an election.’ Too early (to do that). Alam mo, hayaan mo siya. She has also to take a stand. I understand that. It’s always the contrapelo. And that is natural in politics. Pero yang to be ousting,” he said.
The President’s pronouncement came after he told his supporters to “lay off” filing an impeachment complaint against Robredo, saying her criticisms were only part and parcel of a democracy.
A group of lawyers said they would push through with their plan to hold Robredo accountable for the video message she made, which they said was tantamount to betraying the public trust, among others.
Another impeachment complaint has already been filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano and broadcaster Melchor Chavez against the Vice President with the House.
Impeachment complaint vs Robredo to be “processed”
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a staunch Duterte supporter, said that impeachment complaints will have to be “processed” as part of their mandate.
“Kauna-unahan sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas na mayroong isang napakakapal ng mukha na isang official ng gobyerno ay nagpadala ng video clip para sirain ang ating bansa,” he added in a television interview.
