Duterte not bothered by military coup rumors — Palace
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is not bothered by recent reports that some military officials are withdrawing their support for the administration over his supposed silence on the West Philippine Sea issue, Malacañang said Monday.
In an online briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque dismissed rumors on the supposed looming military uprising as “kwentong kutsero” (hearsay).
“Hindi po nababahala ang presidente, alam po ng presidente, tapat siya sa Saligang Batas, at alam po niya na nirerespeto rin ng ating mga kasundaluhan ang ating Saligang Batas,” Roque said.
He also reiterated Duterte’s earlier remark that soldiers can always remove him if the military thinks he is useless.
“Kung gugustuhin ng military, kahit sino pwedeng ipatanggal ng militar,” he said.
“Kampante po siya na walang dahilan para naman umakto ng ganyan ang ating mga kasundalohan,” he added.
Roque issued the statement a day after the Department of National Defense (DND) denied reports that some retired and active military officials are planning to withdraw their support for Duterte over his stance against China and its incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
The Palace official also believes that there is no need for a loyalty check among the military generals and that they can always choose a new leader with the upcoming election year. – RRD (with details from Correspondent Rosalie Coz)
