De Lima claiming Duterte's malevolent plan vs. Leni? Prison hallucination, Roque says

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday deemed as "prison hallucination" the claim of detained Senator Leila De Lima that President Rodrigo Duterte has a "malevolent" plan to oust Vice President Leni Robredo and to let former Senator Bongbong Marcos succeed him if he steps down from the presidency.

"Prison hallucination. Fate of VP hangs with SC (Supreme Court) and not the President," Roque told reporters.

De Lima, a fierce critic of the Duterte administration, has accused the Chief Executive of bringing down the public image of Robredo in order make it easier for the public to accept Marcos' victory at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

“With the federal charter change campaign dead on the water, and a military junta having no avid takers from the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines], this means that the only viable option remaining is to make sure that Marcos is in position to succeed as VP when Duterte decides to step down,” De Lima said.

Robredo defeated Marcos in the May 2016 national election by 263,473 votes, a victory the former senator claims is marred by electoral fraud.

Duterte has repeatedly questioned the leadership skill of Robredo, noting that she does not possess the capability to succeed him in office especially in curbing illegal drugs and corruption in the country.

Duterte also said the Philippines would be better off with a dictator like Ferdinand Marcos.

The Vice President, for her part, branded as recycled rants Duterte's allegations, and urged him to focus instead on solving the country's problems rather than on devoting his attention to her. —KG, GMA News