Panelo doubles down: Lorenzana did not say there is no ouster plot

TOKYO — There is nothing inconsistent between President Rodrigo Duterte's claim of a conspiracy to unseat him and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana's statement that there is no credible ouster plot against the administration, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Duterte ordered the release of a diagram showing alleged links between the opposition and some lawyers and journalists in an alleged plot to discredit and unseat him.

The president has claimed that the "matrix" was based on intelligence information provided by another country.

The administration has said the basis of the "matrix" was credible but has yet to present proof to substantiate the accusations against people tagged in the plot more than a month after the claim first came out.

READ: Duterte vouches for conspiracy 'matrix', hints at wiretaps

Lorenzana, however, told GMA News on Tuesday that the Defense department has not received feelers of an ouster plot and has not heard of an active scheme to unseat Duterte.

"Mukhang... I don't know para bang it was meant to kuryente yung ibang tao... baka kagatin. Pero sa amin, wala kaming nakikitang active ouster plot," the Defense chief said.

(It seems like... I don't know it's like it was meant to fool certain people... maybe they would fall for it. But for us, we don't see any active ouster plot)

READ: No credible ouster plot vs Duterte — Lorenzana

'No contradiction'

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo claimed Lorenzana did not contradict Duterte's statement.

"The secretary said there is no credible plot because there is no support from the military and police. So there is no inconsistency," Panelo said in a chance interview.

"The president said there was a plot. He did not say it had support from the military or PNP (Philippine National Police). In other words, on the part of the (Defense) secretary, it will not be realized because for the plot to be credible, there should be military and police support," he added.

Panelo said Lorenzana never claimed that there was no plot to depose Duterte.

Groups tied to the alleged anti-Duterte plot include the opposition Liberal Party, National Union of People's Lawyers, and news organizations Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Rappler and Vera Files.

All those tagged have denied the allegations and have called them absurd.

READ: 'Matrix' evolution: From 'coup plotters' to just Duterte 'dislikers'