CAMP TECSON, Bulacan—Relax.
This was the advice of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to administration supporters, as he downplayed rumors that the country is under siege from the “enemies of the state” out to destabilize the government and oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Just relax. Everything is still in order. While there may be legitimate grievances, we still need to listen to them,” Lorenzana told reporters in a chance interview here.
“Let us just be vigilant and relaxed, because there is no serious destabilization efforts [against the administration],” he added.
Contrary to the calls of some administration supporters, dissent is not tantamount to efforts to destabilize the government.
“When they criticize the President, they’re saying it’s destabilization, but that’s criticism. I guess, criticism is right, so we know if we’re committing right or wrong, or if there is a serious plot to destabilize him,” Lorenzana said.
While the defense chief acknowledged that there will always be destabilizers joining legitimate calls, he said that the President’s trust and approval ratings still remains afloat and could not be easily brought down.
On Wednesday, the administration-backed Citizen National Guard claimed that the so-called “enemies of the state” does not differ from the legitimate political dissenters.
“If you are a political opponent, why don’t you stand up categorically and say we are not pushing for regime change? Don’t say that we’re not destabilizers. You say it is our interest and the interest of the country that Mr. Duterte continues as the president for the rest of his term,” Antonio Valdes, founder of the newly-formed Citizens National Guard told a television interview.
“A denial of being a destabilizer and somebody who’s working for a regime change, it’s like admitting you’re already seditious,” he claimed.
Former Department of National Defense director Horacio Gonzalez said chaos is the objective of the so-called “enemies of the state,” adding that critics should let Duterte do his job then file charges after his term.
The Defense Department and the Armed Forces of the Philippines both have denied knowledge of destabilization efforts against the administration, after some government officials, including Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, attended the group’s event last week.