‘Duterte referring to mining exec as funder of ouster plot’?

President Rodrigo Duterte. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte could be referring to mining businessman Francis Enrico “Eric” Guttierez as among those allegedly funding a destabilization plot against him, a senator said on Tuesday but added he did not know if there was such an intelligence report or this was just an intrigue.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said he had no information about Duterte’s allegation that some mining firms are funding the opposition but said he has a “suspect” as to who was the President may be referring to.

READ: Duterte: Mining firms funding opposition’s ‘destabilization’ plot

“May mga dati kasing Liberal na nasa mining, who campaigned heavily for Mar Roxas. Na mention na rin ito ni President nung kampanya di ba?” Lacson said in an interview at the Senate, referring to the Liberal Party.

Roxas ran but lost to Duterte during the May 2016 presidential race. Guttierez was among those who had reportedly backed Roxas’ presidential bid.

When a reporter mentioned Guitierez’s name, Lacson said, “Yeah. Yun yun. So whether totoong intelligence report or intriga, we do not know.”

“Well it seems na yun ang nire refer na nagpopondo diumano kay Sen. Trillanes and whoever na sinususpetsang nagde-destabilize,” the senator added. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is a known critic of the President.

Lacson though said he had no idea whether or not the businessman’s alleged involvement in the destabilization plot had basis, saying he would just leave it to the President since the latter has access to all information.

Asked again if any destabilization move against Duterte would succeed, Lacson said in jest: “At this point in time, I doubt. Kaya hindi pa ko sumama eh…”

But Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, president of LP, reiterated that their group was not involved in any destabilization plot against the Duterte administration.

He also denied that the LP was in cahoots with Guttierez, who reportedly backed Roxas’ presidential bid.

“No, no. The destab, if meron man, walang kinalaman ang LP dyan,” Pangilinan said in a separate interview.

He said the President might only be joking when he claimed that there was a destabilization move against him, noting that no less than Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had said that they had not monitored such plot.

READ: Criticism against Duterte is not destabilization, says Lorenzana

“Sabi nya (Lorenzana) dissent does not mean destab so sa atin, hindi tayo naniniwala at hindi totoo na may involvement ang LP sa destab,” Pangilinan stressed. RAM/rga

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