‘Concocted ouster plots an excuse to tap intel funds’

MANILA, Philippines — The military has been “concocting” ouster plots against President Duterte to justify its use of “billions” in intelligence funds, congressmen said yesterday.

“So Red October was moved to December. What is it called now – Red Nose Reindeer? The ever-evolving storyline of the military about this supposed ouster plot has become so confusing that even they cannot figure out which is the head or the tail,” Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo said. 

“These comical fairytales have become a black eye for the military intelligence community. Are those the result of using billions in intelligence funds appropriated for the military?” he asked.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said the military “is again seeing ghosts of an ouster plot coinciding with the All Souls’ Day celebration. 

“It is good to remind them that instead of seeing ghosts, they should look into how we can defend our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. Chinese incursions are real not imagined and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) must assert defense of our territory in a peaceful yet firm manner,” Villarin said. 

“It should thus stop concocting ouster plots like some ‘communist rolling plan’ whose dates keep moving from Red October to Golden December supposedly in time for the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)’s 50th anniversary. Filipinos are getting tired of these alleged plots that are mere hallucinations rather than based on actionable intelligence. Get real, soldiers!” he said.

Leftist party-list groups said the AFP has started arresting activists and branding them as communists to justify the supposed December coup plot against the Duterte administration.

Women’s group Gabriela called for the release of Hedda Calderon, one those arrested, saying she is its consultant at the House of Representatives.

“No amount of terrorist tagging can besmirch the record of Calderon in selflessly defending the rights and welfare of women and the people. She is a long-time women’s rights activist who has fiercely stood against misogyny and fascism, and remains a staunch supporter of the fight for justice by Filipino comfort women who were victimized by Japanese forces during the Second World War,” it said.

Rep. Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers lambasted the military for “spreading disinformation to the public about the thoroughly discredited conspiracy to oust the President, formerly branded as Red October, now preposterously postponed to December.

“It has become abundantly clear that the objective of the AFP’s disinformation campaign is to justify the red-tagging, vilification, harassment, arrest on trumped up charges or extrajudicial killing of activists critical of the Duterte administration,” Tinio said.

“White December is nothing but another failed attempt of the administration and the AFP to a bookstore’s best seller section. This is nothing but a waste of billion-peso intelligence funds that could have been used for measures to ease the impact of runaway inflation,” he said.

The human rights group Karapatan said the government is getting more aggressive against activists.

Karapatan noted that this week, nine activists were illegally arrested in separate incidents in Laguna and Nueva Ecija, while two others were also declared missing. 

“The spike in attacks is a compounded result of the government’s relentless red-tagging in line with its fictitious destabilization plot, the military and police’s collaboration through the Inter-Agency Committee on Legal Action (IACLA) and the counterinsurgency program,” Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.

Palabay cited the arrest of peasant advocates Yolanda Diamsay, 46, Eulalia Ladesma, 44, Edzel Emocling, 23, and Rachel Galario, 20, by the police and military in Nueva Ecija on Oct. 13.

On the other hand, various militant groups staged a protest rally in front of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City demanding the release of suspected communist rebels allegedly involved in the Red October ouster plot.

Rallyists from the Gabriela Women’s Party, Courage, Anakbayan and Kabataan denounced the government for its harassment on members of progressive groups.

Gabriela secretary-general Jang Monte Hernandez said the Red October plot is a figment of the government’s imagination.

“It’s obvious they just made this up to justify the harassment of activists,” Hernandez said. – With Rhodina Villanueva, Emmanuel Tupas