Malacañang confirmed the existence of a plot to oust President Rodrigo Roa Duterte following a report by a local newspaper about a matrix of various Filipino journalists behind the plan.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a Palace press briefing on Monday, April 22, that the source of said matrix is from the Office of the President.
“The source of that is from the Office of the President. From the President himself. I don’t know how he got one but it’s coming from the President. I talked to him the other day,” Panelo said.
“You must remember that the President has so many sources so he got this matrix from one of his sources,” he added.
The matrix listed down names of veteran local journalists from VERA Files, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), and Rappler. It also has names of individuals from lawyer group National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL).
Secretary Panelo, however, said that the presence of this plot is nothing new adding that this has been previously done in the past.
“And I’m not even surprised that there is such a plot. If you noticed, this has been going on. The pattern is clear. False news then transferred to another and it circulates. So, I’m not surprised at all,” he said.
The Palace official then said the Palace won’t take legal steps yet since there are no overt acts taken by these individuals or groups to actualize their conspiracy plot.
“Pinapabayaan lang namin. We just want them to know that we know. And we want the people to know they are on this,” Panelo said.
“Hahayaan lang namin sila. If the plot thickens and they perform acts which are already in violation of the penal laws then that’s a different story,” he added.
For Panelo, the release of such matrix is necessary since the people, to whom this administration’s loyalty lies, have the right to know.
“If there is an ouster plan then people should know about it. People have the right to know what’s happening in this government and that includes people who want to destroy this government. It is our constitutional duty to inform the public of what is happening,” he said.
In the meantime, since some people involved in the plot are journalists, the President’s spokesperson clarified that the administration is in no way threatening dissent.
“We have never stifled dissent in this country. It is the President who encourages dissent. That is what democracy is all about,” he said.
“For the last three years, no journalist has been charged with any case in relation to his or her exercise of the freedom of speech or of the press,” Panelo pointed out. PCO-Content
