THE Office of the President slammed on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s blatant attempts to overthrow the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin urged Duterte to respect the Constitution and not disobey it.
“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,” he said.
“Nakakagulat ang garapalang panawagan ni dating Pangulong Duterte sa ating sandatahang lakas na maglunsad ng kudeta laban kay Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” he added.
(Former President Duterte's call to our armed forces to launch a coup against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is surprising.)
Bersamin vowed that the administration will not shirk from its sworn duty to govern and manage the affairs of the Filipino nation according to the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and that it will defend its legacy before the Filipino people only by lawful means.
“The state will act resolutely to go against all unlawful attempts and challenges,” he said.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang marahas na pang-aagaw ng kapangyarihan upang madaling maluklok bilang pangulo sa pamamagitan ng pagpaslang, panggugulo at pag-aalsa. Maghintay kayo sa tamang panahon, sumunod sa tamang pamamaraan,” he added.
(Violent usurpation of power in order to be easily installed as president through assassinations, riots and uprisings is unacceptable. Wait for the right time, follow the right procedure.)
In a press conference on Monday evening, November 25, Duterte appealed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to do something in correcting the country’s fractured government, noting their primary role in protecting the Constitution.
“There is fractured governance, nabali na, hindi lang na-sprain, there is a fracture in the governance sa ating Pilipinas ngayon. Walang maka-correct niyan…So if you want a redress of grievance, there is no urgent remedy. It is only the military who can correct it,” he said.
“Another appropriate question would be ‘yung sincerity, kayo bang mga military, pati pulis, would you still continue to support a drug addict?” he added.
In a press conference, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the armed forces will remain non-partisan, united and professional amid the prevailing political noise in the country.
“So, with all of these things, we respectfully request that we are shunned away from political issues. We will assure the public that trust us that each member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines remains professional in all of this,” she said.
“And we request na do not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead. So, marami po tayong issues na dapat harapin na hindi po natin gusto na malihis po ang usapin sa iba't ibang ingay na kumakalat,” she added.
Padilla said they do not see the need for loyalty checks in the ranks of the military as they are confident that each soldier will perform its mandate accordingly and will remain professional.
Vice President Sara Duterte is currently in hot water amid the ongoing House investigation on the alleged irregularities in the use of public funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education, which she led in the first two years of the administration.
Over the weekend, following the detention of her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, over “undue interference” in the House committee investigation, an angry Duterte held a press conference where she threw expletives and cursed Marcos, his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
She also revealed that she had already talked to someone to hunt down and kill the Marcoses and Romualdez in case she is killed.
The Vice President tagged the efforts against her as “political harassment and persecution.”
Philippine authorities expressed alarm over Sara’s remarks, saying it is considered a matter of national security.
The former President is also under fire amid the House investigation on the alleged extrajudicial killings carried out by the police during his drug war.
He was directly implicated for allegedly offering reward for policemen for the killing of drug personalities. (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)