Drilon, De Lima deny Duterte ouster plot

At least two Liberal Party (LP) senators on Thursday refuted the statement of President Rodrigo Duterte that his “yellow” critics are plotting his ouster from Malacañang.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon said Duterte’s allegation was “totally unfounded.”

“Walang katotohanan yan. We have not discussed any plot to change the President. We respect the mandate of the people,” Drilon told reporters.

He said LP’s opposition to certain issues, like the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, has nothing to do with any ouster plan.

Another LP senator, Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, said their party was just “making their voices hear” when it opposed extrajudicial killings, proposals to reimpose death penalty, and the “misogynistic acts and behavior.”

“The ‘yellows,’ including the LP senators, are simply weighing in or making their voices heard on those issues of deep public interest,” De Lima said.

“And, certainly, we're not doing that to benefit any political figure or promote any political agenda,” she added.

De Lima said Duterte should not “silence” citizens who are speaking up on serious issues affecting the nation by making “paranoid accusations.”

The President earlier said that the “yellows” were holding protests against him because they cannot accept defeat.

Duterte was referring to the political color of the LP, which was the ruling party before he won the presidency in the last elections. —KBK, GMA News