MANILA, Philippines — The political opposition is not working with communist rebels to supposedly oust President Rodrigo Duterte, the military chief said Tuesday.
During the budget hearing of the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Carlito Galvez was pressed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV if the Magdalo and the Liberal Party are involved in the ouster plot dubbed by the military as “Red October.”
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“This is a sinister plot of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army. They would like to have coalition with the opposition. That’s why our intention is to protect the legitimate opposition,” Galvez said.
When asked if there is an existing coalition between the communist insurgents and the political opposition, the AFP replied, “No.”
Trillanes welcomed the statement of Galvez for clearing members of political opposition in the alleged conspiracy to unseat the chief executive.
“I’m glad because at least it’s clear because we will not do it. We’re trying to exert our influence within the legitimate opposition to steer clear of these communists kasi iba ‘yung plano nila sa bayan. For as long as sabi ko na they’re killing our soldiers, tubig at langis, hindi pwedeng paghaluin,” the former Navy officer said.
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan also asked Galvez if the Liberal Party had forged a coalition with the communist party to which the AFP chief replied in negative.
“I would categorically state that there is no desire on the part of the Liberal Party to oust President Duterte. We will never support any unconstitutional approach or move. If you have any information on any member of the party involved, you tell us and we will expel this party member,” he said.
The statement of Galvez contradicts the earlier claim of Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade, AFP deputy chief of staff for operations, that a coalition which includes Tindig Pilipinas and supporters of ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is conspiring with armed rebels to oust Duterte.
But Malacañang insisted that some individual members of the erstwhile ruling party are conniving with communists.
“It could be true that there is no formal memorandum of agreement between the party itself and the CPP-NPA [but] it does not prevent leading personalities within LP from having collusion,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Tuesday.
Duterte, in a televised dialogue with his lawyer Salvador Panelo on September 11, claimed that a sympathetic foreign government had recorded conversations that would show a conspiracy between communist rebels, the pro-military Magdalo group and the Liberal Party against him.
Jose Ma. Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman and political consultant of the National Democratic Front, denied the supposed conspiracy and dared Duterte to release the supposed recordings.