The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday said it has taken appropriate measures to quell any communist plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo considered the threat to topple the Duterte administration as credible and said they were taking measures to thwart any attempts by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, from carrying out their plot.
Arevalo declined to disclose the security measures, however, saying they would not reveal any operational details.
CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, irked by the aborted resumption of peace talks on June 21, said that they would rather support moves to oust Duterte than talk peace with him.
Arevalo said the CPP/NPA plan to oust the President by October was included in recovered documents, validating claims by NPA rebels who recently surrendered to the military.
“They have particular plans. I don’t have the details, as of now but what is important to us to say at this point was there is such plan, they hatched during the period where there is a lull in operations because of the ongoing ceasefire,” Arevalo said.
Asked if they have identified other groups supporting the CPP/NPA plot, Arevalo declined to respond.
Earlier, political strategist Pastor “Boy” Saycon said the Liberal Party was reportedly behind the destabilization moves against Duterte, a charge the opposition party has denied.
Saycon said he also did not discount the possibility that the Catholic Church might be used as a vehicle against the President.
Church officials have denied Saycon’s allegations.
