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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Rody hits 3 loudest critics

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night accused three of his loudest critics—Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, detained Senator Leila de Lima and Vice President Leni Robredo—as being behind the move to boot him out of Malacañang.

“Look, let’s be frank here. They want me ousted. Who’s behind it? This Trillanes, he’s a soldier but better off as a security guard, and his ilk. The other is De Lima, she wants me out,” Duterte told a national convention of lawyers in Pasay City Thursday evening, drawing laughter from the audience.

Duterte continued with his list of those moving to unseat him, tagging Robredo as one of those plotting for his ouster, even though he has asked his allies to stop attempts to impeach her.

“The third is Leni. Why wait if the opportunity is there?” Duterte said of Robredo, whom he earlier said was “in a hurry” to replace him.

Still, he urged his supporters to just let Robredo criticize him because that’s how politics works.

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Duterte made these pronouncements after he rejected moves to oust Robredo, saying that an impeachment case against her would only create more trouble in the country, especially now that security forces are facing so many challenges.

Trillanes and Robredo had previously denied having a hand in any move to impeach Duterte. The Liberal Party, to which De Lima belongs, had also denied accusations that they were behind the impeachment rap against the President.

Duterte, who recently finished his tour of Asean countries, told Filipinos overseas that Trillanes was a coward for swiftly surrendering during the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and that De Lima was “Satan’s queen.” 

Before Duterte spoke before lawyers at the same convention, Robredo called on lawyers to defend Filipinos’ right to express dissent, lamenting what she described as “false security” in the country.

“People cannot point to deserted streets and say that’s peace when we know better. At best, that is false security. The challenge is to reclaim the narrative of genuine security…. The challenge is about upholding the quality of life which is realized by the protection of our freedoms,” Robredo said. 

Amid the impeachment issue, Duterte and Robredo had a cordial encounter when they both shared the same stage at the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy “Masidlak” Class of 2016 in Silang, Cavite. 

Duterte, who arrived 20 minutes late for the ceremonies, shook his hands with the vice president and engaged her in a conversation.

The initial seating arrangement placed Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno between the President and vice president. But Duterte and Robredo ended up sitting next to each other. Sueno then took Robredo’s seat.

Duterte and Robredo are facing separate impeachment complaints lodged at the House of Representatives. 

HAVING A GOOD CHAT. President Rodrigo Duterte, who has called Vice President Leni Robredo among three critics who want him out of Malacañang, appears luxuriating beside his critic while Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez continues to assert the independence of the House of Representatives in deciding the fate of the separate impeachment complaints against the country’s two top officials. Malacañang Photo 

Speaking at the changing of the guard at the Presidential Security Group Thursday night, Duterte admitted that he made so many enemies who don’t want him to succeed as a result of waging the bloody war on illegal drugs and corruption.

Duterte warned Col. Lope Dagoy, who took over from Brig. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, that he would “have his hands full” because of the enemies he made in the process. 

“As the lead agency tasked with the protection of the President and the first family, the PSG will have to deal with a variety of threats,” Duterte said. 

“In the nine months that I have been in office, I have pursued measures that affected many personalities. While these have enabled me to help our people, these actions also made me many enemies,” he added. 

Duterte said that those who were angry at him are those “upset by the administration’s reforms.”

“There are those whose lives have been affected by our people’s war against crime, corruption, and the illegal drugs. These are the people who do not wish to see me or the Philippines succeed,” he said. 

The Chief Executive also assured several members of the PSG who were wounded in an ambush last November in Marawi that they will be taken care of by the government while they recuperate. 

Dagoy, Duterte’s senior military adviser, replaced Bautista, who was assigned as the commander of 1st “Tabak” Division of the Philippine Army in Zamboanga del Sur. 

On Friday, Liberal Party president Senator Francis Pangilinan said dissent does not mean destabilization.

“Dissent to ensure checks and balance is a constitutional duty,” he said.

Aside from LP senators, Duterte claimed LP allies in the Senate are also plotting to remove him in office.

The other LP senators in the Senate are Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Leila de Lima and allies Trillanes of the Nacionalista Party and Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan.

Duterte had also directly accused Vice President Leni Robredo, the highest elected official of LP, De Lima and Trillanes of allegedly planning to unseat him. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

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