Calida: People from different colors, not just yellows, plotting to oust Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — It is not only the "yellows" but also personalities from different colors who are plotting to oust President Rodrigo Duterte from office, Solicitor General Jose Calida said on Thursday.

Calida claimed that there was a black operation against the president and this involved personalities from different sectors.

"Before it was the yellow, now they changed the color to white. Now there are also the reds coming in. Members of the clergy are joining the fray," he said in a media conference.

"I warn them that they will not succeed," he added.

The top government lawyer threatened to send these people to jail for engaging in what he called "subversive activities."

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Calida, however, refused to identify these people and asked to be given a few more weeks for him to be able to name names.

According to Calida, they would defend the country and the president from the people whom he termed as "subversives" for allegedly plotting to remove Duterte from power.

The accusations that Duterte had billions of pesos in transactions in bank accounts he jointly owned with his children were part of destabilization attempts of people who lost during last year's national election, Calida said.

The solicitor general, however, said the president should not sign bank waivers as Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV had no authority to do so.

The president could sign waivers but not upon the prodding of the senator, he added.

"Anong akala niya sa presidente uto-uto? (Does he think that the president is credulous?)" Calida said, adding that no person in his right mind would accept the challenge of the senator whom he called a "public nuisance."

Calida added that his office would support any individual or groups who would sue those spreading spurious information about the president's bank transaction records.

"We will help them file the case because they are destabilizing the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. We will not allow that," Calida said.

Calida also offered reasons why these individuals and groups continued to attempt to remove Duterte from the presidency.

He said that these people could not accept that fact that they lost to a mayor from Davao City.

"It's a matter of political lust. They want to regain again their power," he stated.

READ: Calida: Deputy ombudsman can be charged over release of Duterte's account details

The solicitor general said that part of the removal moves was to "throw everything at the president" including the issues related to alleged extrajudicial killings and deaths of minors in relation to the government's war on drugs.

Calida accused Trillanes of bloating the amounts allegedly in the president's bank accounts, saying that the presidential critic added deposits and withdrawals which resulted in huge figures.

He also challenged Trillanes to conduct a coup d'état under the government of Duterte.

"You do a coup d'état now and let's see if you're brave," Calida said.

Trillanes has accused the president of having more than P2 billion worth of transactions in his bank accounts, something that the president denies.

Duterte also refused to sign bank waivers to allow an investigation of these supposed accounts.