MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo has flagged the military's claim that members of the political opposition are part of an ouster plot as alarming and dangerous.
The alleged armed ouster plot conspiracy “would be laughable if they were not so dangerous,” said Robredo, also the chairperson of the Liberal Party, which is now the de facto mainstream opposition party.
“The attempt to delegitimize various opposition groups and personalities linking them to an alleged extra-constitutional ‘plot’ is alarming,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
Gen. Carlito Galvez, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, and Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade, deputy chief of staff for operations, earlier linked the political opposition to an alleged armed conspiracy to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte.
Ouster plot claim dangerous to democracy
But Robredo stressed that the military's claim is not only baseless, it also poses a threat to the country's democracy.
“Baseless allegations that link my involvement in legitimate opposition activities with illegal actions, particularly when they come from high ranking military officials, undermine not just the opposition but also our democracy,” the vice president added.
The vice president reminded the men and women of the AFP that they share the same mandate of upholding the constitution
“They politicize the AFP, subvert the Constitutional protections and weaken a crucial mechanism for ensuring public accountability,” she said.
Robredo also pointed out that a similar tactic of branding critics as criminals was employed during martial law “to strip the opposition of its voice.”
“[T]his silencing of the opposition was a prelude to establishing a regime of corruption, abuse and dictatorship,” the vice president added.
Parlade: 'Broad coalition' working to overthrow government
Parlade, in an interview with ANC over the weekend, claimed that a “broad coalition” being orchestrated by the Communist Party with [National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace panel consultant Rey] Casambre, Satur Ocampo are working together to overthrow the government.
This was in support of an earlier claim that President Rodrigo Duterte made in a staged conversation with his lawyer Salvador Panelo on September 11. He said then that a sympathetic foreign government had recorded conversations of a conspiracy involving Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, members of the Liberal Party and communist rebels.
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The supposed “coalition” includes Coalition for Justice—a group who backed ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno during the government's campaign to remove her from office—and Tindig Pilipinas.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV already clarified that Tindig Pilipinas do not have communists and uniformed personnel among its members. Coalition for Justice has also refuted the military's claim.
'Red-baiting'
Movement Against Tyranny, a separate opposition coalition, also slammed the military’s claim. The group said, is a “clear sign of the Duterte regime’s full engagement in facilitating the return of dictatorship and cementing the comeback of the Marcos family.”
“The stepped-up red-baiting by the Armed Forces of the Philippines is a clear sign of the Duterte regime’s full engagement in facilitating the return of dictatorship and cementing the comeback of the Marcos family,” MAT also said.
Red-baiting, as defined by the International Peace Observers Network, is the practice of publicly and detractively classifying government-critical individuals and organizations as communist terrorists, state enemies or subversives.
READ: Duterte’s red-tagging endangers activists – militant groups
Among the convenors of the MAT are former Sen. Rene Saguisag, former Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, Free Legal Assistance Group Chairman Jose Manuel Diokno, activist nun Sr. Mary John Mananzan, University of the Philippines Diliman Chancellor Michael Tan and veteran journalist Vergel Santos.
Parlade also warned of a plot called “Red October”—another alleged conspiracy to oust Duterte.
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“They’ll continue their plans until next month. They also have this October or Red October. That’s the celebration of international communism and also the indigenous people,” he said.
October is the National Indigenous Peoples' Month by virtue of a 2009 proclamation by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In October last year, the government also floated the idea of a supposed conspiracy between the Liberal Party, the Communist Party of the Philippines and members of the clergy to oust Duterte.