Panelo: Unknown sender of matrix must be from Duterte’s office

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Friday insisted that the matrix naming the personalities involved in an alleged plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte came from the Chief Executive himself.

Panelo took exception to media reports that he retracted his original claim when he said that he got the copy of matrix from an unknown number.

In a statement, Panelo said he was standing by his pronouncement on April 22 that the source of the document was the President.

“I never mentioned that the matrix was handed to me in person by the President during the press briefing on April 22. And that is only what I affirmatively confirmed during the press briefing yesterday, May 2. I did not backtrack or flip-flop,” Panelo said.

“The number of the sender of the diagram is not listed in my phone directory. Regardless from whatever number it was sent, I can assure that the matrix sent to me came from the President," he added.

Panelo said the sender of the matrix “must be one of the staff in the Office of the President.” The Palace spokesman did not disclose this information in his Thursday briefing.

“Considering as well the fact that the President did not correct or rectify what was released only means that it was the matrix being referred to by the President,” he said.

After receiving the document, Panelo said on Thursday that he instructed his staff to take a screenshot of the "Oust Duterte" matrix from the article of the Manila Times, which first reported the matter, because the one he got was blurry.

Panelo clarified on Friday that his office has access to a clearer matrix that can also be obtained online apart from what was published in the Manila Times, “and we decided to use that one instead of printing the one sent to my phone which was unclear.”

Even if he had not personally verified the content of the matrix, Panelo said the President will not order the release of any information without proper vetting.

“This is clear when I said during the April 22 briefing that the President will not order the release of anything if he has not validated the same,” he said.

Panelo then said “it appears that there is a desperate move to taint the legitimacy of the subject matrix.

“We will let them be,” he said.

“As for us, it is our duty to inform the public, for they have the right to know, that there are plans to overthrow the President and that we will protect him and this administration to make good our vow to the electorate of delivering genuine and meaningful change to the citizenry.”

Malacañang earlier backed the Manila Times report on the supposed destabilization plot anchored on online videos alleging the involvement of the President’s family and his close associates to illegal drugs.

Named in the matrix were personalities from Vera Files, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, National Union of Peoples' Lawyers, Rappler and lawmakers Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate.

The PCIJ, VERA Files, Rappler and the NUPL all strongly denied the alleged conspiracy to oust Duterte. —NB, GMA News