‘Red October’ aims to force Duterte to declare martial law – AFP

The “Red October” ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte is meant to push him to declare martial law nationwide, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.

“Ang nakikita namin (What we are seeing) is the President is being dragged to declare martial law nationwide, [and] most probably a revolutionary government,” Galvez said during a Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of National Defense.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier confirmed the existence of the plan to unseat the President.

The AFP believes that the communists are trying to form a coalition with the opposition and previous government destabilizers while setting a trap for Duterte.

“‘Like in Plaza Miranda, they will create [chaos]… and force the President to declare martial law nationwide,” he said.

Duterte earlier claimed that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the Liberal Party (LP) and the Magdalo Party-list group were hatching an ouster plot against him.

Galvez said the AFP already identified previous destabilizers who could be involved in the ouster plot.

Asked by Senator Francis Pangilinan if the formation of a revolutionary government conformed with the 1987 Constitution, the AFP chief said it did not.

At the hearing to determine the funding of the armed forces, Galvez cleared Magdalo Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Pangilinan, who is also president of the Liberal Party, of involvement in the alleged plot. /cbb

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