Gaite on Duterte's claim of conspiracy to oust gov't: Walang ganun, sir

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite has cried foul over the accusation of President Rodrigo Duterte that militant organizations, including the House Makabayan Bloc, are participating in a grand communist-led conspiracy to oust the government.

In a statement late Monday night, Gaite likened Duterte's remark as a new version of the "Red October" ouster plot, which the military put forward in 2018 claiming that opposition groups — including the Liberal Party, the Magdalo group and "communist groups" — were planning to oust the President.

"Is this the new version of their 'Red October' ouster conspiracy hoax? Everytime the regime is caught in issues of its own making, they hatch this kind of chilling propaganda to legitimize red-tagging and subsequent attacks against their critics," Gaite said.

Duterte, in his televised address on Monday, said groups such as the Makabayan Bloc, Bayan and Gabriela were not being red-tagged but were being named definitively as fronts for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

"We are identifying you as members in a grand conspiracy comprising all the legal fronts they have organized headed by NDF at Communist Party of the Philippines," Duterte said without offering evidence.

“The AFP is very correct. You are being identified as the members of the communist para alam namin. ‘Yon ang totoo, hindi red-tagging.”

Gaite recalled that the Duterte administration in 2018 also released an "Oust Duterte Matrix" tagging key opposition figures, progressive organizations, and even media personalities.

However, he said the supposed matrix did not prosper and was only made to further justify the red-tagging and harassment against critics of the government.

"This grand conspiracy exists only in the President's head. Walang ganun, sir. But we cannot deny that there is great dissatisfaction among the people especially after their perceived sluggish efforts to assist the typhoon victims, the prolonged lockdown and continuing pandemic, the high unemployment rate and bad economy," Gaite said.

"Ito ang patong-patong na usapin na dapat hinaharap ng Pangulo, na kung hinaharap niya sana ay hindi na siya nag-aalala sa tatag ng kanyang pamumuno," he added.

Gaite maintained that the Makabayan Bloc's record in Congress would show that they have created measures that only aim to uplift the lives of the Filipino people.

"They can check the records, nakatala naman lahat ng inatupag namin, from House Resolutions to House Bills," he said.

"Walang rebelyon, walang pagpapatalsik, ang meron lang ay mga panukalang batas para mapabuti ang kalagayan ng mamamayan," Gaite added. —KBK, GMA News