Former President Rodrigo Duterte gestures at a recent Senate hearing on his drug war. —File photo by Grig C. Montegrande | Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) on Tuesday called out former President Rodrigo Duterte for apparently trying to provoke the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) into going against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a press conference Monday evening, Duterte claimed that there was a “fractured governance” in the country.
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“Nobody can correct Marcos. Nobody can correct [Martin] Romualdez. There is no urgent remedy. It is only the military who can correct it,” he said.
Duterte then asked the military: “Until when will you support an addict president? I challenge the whole military because they’re supposed to be the protectors of the Constitution.”
The former president did not specifically mention that he was calling for a coup d’etat against Marcos.
The OES issued a rebuttal, condemning Duterte’s remarks.
“No motive is more selfish than calling for a sitting president to be overthrown so that your daughter can take over. And he will go to great and evil lengths, such as insulting our professional armed forces by asking them to betray their oath, for his plan to succeed,” the statement read.
“The former president should respect the Constitution, not disobey it. He should desist from being as irresponsible as he has become. The blatant call by former President Duterte to our armed forces to launch a coup against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is shocking,” the statement added in a mix of English and Filipino.
The OES emphasized that the administration would “not shirk” its duties and would defend its legacy before the Filipino people “only by lawful means.”
“The state will act resolutely to go against all unlawful attempts and challenges,” the OES said.
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“The violent seizure of power to quickly assume the presidency through killings, chaos, and uprisings is unacceptable. Wait for the right time and follow the proper process,” it added.