‘Red October’ not that serious as far as PNP is concerned — Albayalde

PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde during a press briefing at NHQ, Camp Crame, Quezon City. INQUIRER PHOTO/ JAM STA ROSA

Amid reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and President Rodrigo Duterte himself, the alleged ouster plot against the administration dubbed as “Red October” is not that serious as far as the Philippine National Police (PNP) is concerned.

PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said this on Monday, noting that the plot allegedly being hatched by communists and the political opposition is not a threat but remains a concern at the moment.

READ: ‘Red October,’ according to AFP

“Sa ngayon ang nakikita natin ay hindi naman talaga (Right now, we see it is not) that serious as far as we are concerned. I don’t know with other intelligence community,” he said in a press briefing.

“Hindi siya nakikita natin na (We don’t see it as a) threat as of this time, but it can be a concern. For some, it can be a concern, but we do not treat it as a threat as far as the PNP is concerned. I don’t know with other agencies,” he added.

READ: AFP links raid to ‘Red Oct,’ but NBI not on same page

Albayalde, however, said that there is a basis for the reports on the alleged ouster plot.

He said that Duterte has “unlimited access” to information and that he is not boxed in with intelligence reports from the PNP.

Earlier, the AFP claimed that communist rebels are expanding its network to launch the “Red October” plot.

The military also linked the supposed ouster plot to a raid in a farm in Rizal where several firearms were confiscated. /je