Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Friday said there are “sustained attacks” against President Rodrigo Duterte in an attempt to “terminate” his presidency.
Pimentel said this as Duterte tagged Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV as well as Vice President Leni Robredo in efforts to oust him from office.
“Ako personally, I could also feel that there is a sustained attack against the President. Parang wala na siyang ginawang tama. So baka nga, one way to explain this, there’s really an effort or a plan to terminate his presidency at the soonest possible time,” Pimentel said in an interview in Manila.
“So what is that? Eh ano 'yun? Destab—'yun ang tawag pero ito hindi ito intel report. Ito pakiramdam ko lang din,” he said.
Pimentel is the president of PDP-Laban, the political party of President Duterte.
He said it is not impossible that the attacks are “coordinated” among the critics of the President, who has only been in office for the past nine months.
Earlier, Duterte said he believes De Lima, Trillanes and Robredo want him out of office.
"Look, prangka tayo. They want me ousted. Who's behind it? Itong si Trillanes. Sundalo, mas mabuti pa ang security guard dito,” he told lawyers at a national convention organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pasay City on Thursday night.
“Sino ang isa? Si De Lima. Gusto niya na akong paalisin. Wala naman akong ginawang exhibition. Pangatlo, si Leni, natural kasi bakit pa siya maghihintay kung nandiyan na ang opportunity? 'Barilin na lang iyan si ano—' Look at the people behind," Duterte added.
On Thursday, however, Robredo said her dissent against certain policies of Duterte does not mean she is after the presidency.
Source : GMA