No destabilization during EDSA
MANILA, Philippines - The protest to be staged by militant groups today in observance of the 31st anniversary celebration of the EDSA people power revolution is not part of a destabilization plot to oust President Duterte, officials said yesterday.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. dismissed reports of destabilization against the government amid talks that the opposition might capitalize on the arrest of Sen. Leila de Lima to seek Duterte’s ouster.
“Is De Lima worth fighting for?” Esperon asked.
He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police are on top of the security situation.
Instead of entertaining talks of destabilization, Esperon said the people should look for ways to contribute to nation-building and let the military and police deal with the country’s security concerns.
“I don’t think there should be anything to worry about. This is a weekend of celebration. This is a celebration of a peaceful transformation,” Esperon said on the sidelines of the EDSA anniversary at Camp Aguinaldo.
National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde said they have not received reports that the rally was part of efforts to destabilize the administration.
Albayalde said they were anticipating a bigger crowd at the People Power Monument in Quezon City as supporters of De Lima were expected to join the protest.
“We are monitoring the camp of Senator De Lima. We don’t know whether they would call for support for her during the rally,” he said.
He added members of the Liberal Party (LP), to which De Lima belongs, have not called for mass support to the rally.
Militant groups Akbayan, Gabriela, Migrante and Pamalakaya will participate in the rally to be held at 4 p.m.
Albayalde said anti-riot policemen would be deployed 100 meters away from the People Power monument to prevent confrontation with rallyists.
Former Marine officer and Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon described as “all noise and nonsense” the reported destabilization plot to oust President Duterte.
He made the statement during a forum with traders and importers in Zamboanga City yesterday.
He said a few ambitious people were making noise to discredit and thwart the Duterte administration.
“Let me put it this way, there are people who are too ambitious and beclouded by their political ambition. They failed to see the sincerity of the President to resolve the country’s problems,” Faeldon said.
‘Pattern of destabilization’
Meanwhile, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez maintained that allies of former president Benigno Aquino III are allegedly destabilizing the Duterte government.
In a radio interview, he said he sees “a pattern of destabilization” efforts against the present administration.
“First, they had (former Davao City police officer Arturo) Lascañas retract his testimony. Now, there is this report that drug convicts were offered P100 million to change their testimonies,” Alvarez said.
“Laguna Congresswoman Len Alonte Naguiat was also involved. She is a relative if former Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) chairman (Cristino Naguiat Jr.),” he added.
“So we can see that there’s something playing here that involves the previous administration. There’s big money they are using to destabilize the government,” Alvarez said in Filipino.
Lascañas, accompanied by lawyers from Free Legal Assistance Group and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, held a press conference this week to corroborate the statements of whistleblower Edgar Matobato on the existence of a death squad in Davao City when Duterte was its mayor.
Lascañas said the squad executed many people, including journalist Jun Pala, and his own two brothers supposedly on Duterte’s orders.
The former police officer was summoned to last year’s Senate hearings on Matobato’s revelations. He was still in active service then, but denied the existence of the so-called Davao death squad.
Trillanes claimed a Catholic priest asked him to help Lascañas do a “public confession.”
The Senate has decided to look into Lascañas’ corroboration of Matobato’s statements. The two self-confessed death squad members have linked several retired and active policemen to Davao City executions. – With Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero
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