MANILA – Instead of staging a coup d’état to unseat him, President Rodrigo Duterte said soldiers must just convince him to step down if they no longer find him deserving.
In a speech at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Camp General Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna, Duterte said plotting a coup against him will just be a waste of time.
“Do not go into such stupid things. Coup d’état, coup d’état, you’re wasting your time. Just talk to me and if I think you are right, I will agree with you and I will step down,” the President said.
He added, “If you think I do not deserve to be there, just tell me. I’d be happy to oblige. If you think there’s a better guy there on the side. Your loyalty should begin and end with the Republic of the Philippines. Do not mind me.”
In a separate speech at Malacañang on Thursday, Duterte reiterated his willingness to resign, adding that he is only waiting for a valid reason.
“May sabi-sabi na coup d’état, mutiny, gusto nila akong paalisin – the irony of it all is gusto ko talagang umalis,” Duterte said. “Bigyan mo ako nang magandang rason. Sabi ko bitawan ko lahat ‘yan.”
“Sabi ko the irony of it all is you want to kick me out, naghahanap lang ako ng rason. Really I’m going home, I’m tired. ‘Yan ang totoo diyan. Kasi hindi ko talaga kaya ang corruption,” he added. “Maski anuhin ko. It begins with something like an inaugural thing, the breaking of the ground or the cutting of whatever. It’s given the widest publicity. Three months after, nandoon na sa Ombudsman and then sa Sandigan.”
Duterte made the remarks amid reports that there is a group plotting for his ouster called “Oplan Red October,” which was allegedly plotted by Magdalo group, Communist Party of the Philippines and other members of the opposition./PN
