Power-hungry destabilizers won’t succeed in ousting Duterte — Palace

Malacañang is confident that “power-hungry” destabilizers of President Rodrigo Duterte will not succeed in overthrowing the government due to the “overwhelming” support of Filipinos for the chief executive.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this on Monday as he confirmed the ouster plot called “Red October,” which was earlier revealed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

READ: Duterte: Reds, Magdalo, political rivals plotting to oust 

“We have no doubts that the CPP-NPA has been out to overthrow the government since they were founded. We have no doubts that there are power-hungry individuals in the opposition who would like to resort to extraconstitutional means to bring down the government of President Duterte. And we have no doubts that the Magdalo group are addicted to coup d’etat,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.

But despite the never-ending rumors of coup plots,  Roque said the Palace is confident of the people’s support for Duterte.

“[W]e are confident that we enjoy overwhelming support from the people and therefore what these groups would want to see, the ouster of President Duterte, will not happen,” he said.

The Palace official cited the latest Social Weather Stations survey, showing that eight out of 10 Filipinos support Duterte’s war on drugs.

READ: 88% of Pinoys support war on drugs; 73% say EJKs happen—survey

“This is an overwhelming support from the Filipino people. It validates the importance that the President has given to the war on drugs, it validates the means by which the President has been implementing this war on drugs. Of course, foreigners won’t agree, but the President does not give a hoot about what Filipinos say,” he said.

“He only cares about what Filipinos have said and the people have rendered their judgement on the basis of this survey,” he added.

Duterte has been criticized for his brutal anti-drugs campaign, which critics claimed have resulted to the deaths and abuses of thousands of Filipinos, mostly the poor.

Roque again linked Duterte’s political opponents to the ouster plot against the President.

“Sila po ‘yung maraming gahaman sila sa kapangyarihan. Hindi makapaghintay ng eleksyon (They are hungry for power. They can’t even wait for the elections),” he said.

He dismissed speculations that there was a looming people power to oust the President.

“Tinalo po ni Presidente yung kandidato nila ng 6 million votes, wag na po sila manginip ng people power para matanggal si Presidente sa kanyang posisyon (The President defeated their candidate by six million votes. They shouldn’t dream of ousting the president),” he said.

“People power po will work kung wala pong mandato yung tinatanggal (People power will work if the chief executive has no mandate). It will not work when the peole elected the President to a fixed term of office,” he added.

Duterte won by at least six million votes, over his closest rival, Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, the standard bearer of the Liberal Party, Duterte’s political opponents. /ee