De Lima claims Duterte plotting to oust Robredo

MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Leila de Lima yesterday warned of what she called President Duterte’s malevolent plot to oust Vice President Leni Robredo to allow former senator Bongbong Marcos to succeed him should he step down before his term ends in 2022.

De Lima, who is detained at Camp Crame, said Duterte is demolishing Robredo’s public image to make it easier for him to sell “Marcos’ hovering fraudulent victory at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to the people.”

She said Duterte would be appointing more justices to the Supreme Court who will likely vote in crucial cases favoring the administration.

“Duterte has several ideas how he will be replaced in case he decides to step down before his term ends. He has expressed his preference for Bongbong Marcos, Chiz Escudero, a military junta (but) none of them include the constitutional mode of succession, which is the only legal way of replacing him,” she said in statement from detention.

With the campaign to shift to a federal system all but dead in Congress, and the idea of a military junta unpalatable to the Armed Forces, the only viable option remaining is to make sure that Marcos is in position to succeed as vice president when Duterte decides to step down, according to the senator.

“As the math of coopted SC votes improves to favor a fake Marcos victory, so will the Marcos-Robredo PET case unravel to its malevolent conclusion,” De Lima said.

After admitting he has grown exhausted of fighting corruption and illegal drugs, Duterte repeatedly claimed he is willing to step down if the likes of Marcos or Escudero would succeed him.

In his several public engagements, Duterte publicly belittled Robredo’s leadership capabilities by saying she could not handle the drug menace in the country which supposedly makes her unfit to be his successor.

With the political machinery of Duterte, De Lima said the Filipino people’s only weapon against a Duterte-sponsored Marcos comeback is vigilance and resistance.

“After the Supreme Court has demonstrated its capability to perform the unconstitutional ouster of its own chief justice, it can no longer be relied upon to stand as the guardian of the Constitution and the rule of law,” she said.

The SC earlier affirmed the removal of former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno who was ousted from office through a quo warranto petition in June.

Duterte recently appointed Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro to replace Sereno.

‘Prison hallucination’

Reacting to De Lima’s claim, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said he could be experiencing hallucinations in jail.

“Prison hallucination. (The) fate of the vice president is with the Supreme Court and not the President,” Roque said before he joined Duterte and the official delegation in taking the nonstop flight to Israel for an official visit.

Roque turned the tables against De Lima for not knowing the law when she became justice secretary.

“How can we unseat that, that’s pending in the PET, the SC, not the President. So, it shows also that she’s not fully aware of our constitutional system. Surprising because she became secretary of justice,” Roque said.

Although Duterte has repeatedly belittled Robredo’s capability to lead the country, Roque assured the public that there is no way that the Chief Executive is trying to influence the PET or any other agency that deals with the electoral protest filed by Marcos.

“He’s not in a position to interfere; also, he’s having more and more appointees, a majority are still not his appointees,” Roque said, as he reinforced Duterte’s preference for the likes of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos rather than having Robredo succeed him.

“He prefers everyone over Robredo. That’s the truth. Unfortunately Marcos is the only one with the pending (protest)…,” he added.

The Palace also downplayed Robredo’s calls for the President to focus on the economy instead of attacking her.

“The President is capable of focusing on these things together with focusing on her. No, he’s capable of multi-tasking, and maybe that’s why he doesn’t think she’s qualified because in her world view, hindi pupuwedeng multi-tasking (multi-tasking does not work),” Roque said.

He also disputed the Vice President’s claim on “recycled rants” by the President.

“It’s not a recycled rant, it’s always been his views… with all due respect to her. It can’t be recycled because his views never change,” he said.

Asked why Duterte designated Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra as officer-in-charge of the government instead of Robredo, Roque said the President appoints only the person he trusts for the post while he is away. – With Christina Mendez