DND takes Red October ouster plot vs. Duterte seriously, but says it will fail due to lack of support

The Department of National Defense (DND) is taking seriously the supposed Red October destabilization plot against the Duterte administration, claiming the plan became an "urgent program" of the communist groups following the cancellation of peace talks with the government.

According to Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana, the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) is planning to get support from various civic organizations to join their mass actions led by progressive groups.

"We take it seriously. Remember that this was uncovered last February 2017 in an encounter between our troops in Bukidnon. It was hatched by the CPP-NPA in October of 2016 even before the President canceled the peace talks," Lorenzana said in a message to reporters on Tuesday.

"After it was canceled, the implementation became an urgent program by the CPP-NPA. Their plan was to get as many [civic] organizations as possible to join their mass actions led by their progressive fronts," he added.

Lorenzana, however, believes that the supposed ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte is bound to fail due to lack of popular support.

"Like the other plots of the CPP-NPA, this too will fail for lack of popular support. What they planned to do is initiate mass action which they hope to snowball into a people power such as what they intended last September 21 or Martial Law anniversary," Lorenzana said.

"The turn out was pitifully small. The pro-PRRD crowd were greater in number. Despite these setback, they (CPP-NPA) will keep trying," he added.

A day before the Martial Law anniversary, government forces have vowed to neutralize the CPP-NPA's alleged attempts to remove Duterte from power.

Malacañang expressed support to the military's plan to form a body to execute their plans of exterminating communist forces and proclaimed that any military-backed civilian uprisings will not remove Duterte from office.

Meanwhile, the Defense chief said the government does not need emergency powers to suppress any attempts to remove Duterte from presidency as the country is not yet facing any emergency situations.

"These are just irritants that somehow distracts us from properly governing," Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana vowed that the military would continue to monitor the activities of communist rebels as well as members of the political opposition including Senator Antonio Trillanes IV as DND's intelligence team has claimed that critics of Duterte were also involved in the destabilization plot.

"Exposure is first step. Second is to monitor their activities and their affiliates. Third is to preempt if there are indications that they will conduct destab or any violent mass movement," he said.

Vice President Leni Robredo earlier said linking Duterte's critics to alleged ouster plans against Duterte is only a "tactic" to silence the opposition. 

"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," Robredo said.

"We must recall that branding critics as criminals was the same draconian tactic employed by the Martial Law Regime to strip the opposition of its voice. And that this silencing of the opposition was a prelude to establishing a regime of corruption, abuse, and dictatorship," she continued. — RSJ, GMA News