The Plots to Oust Duterte

Since last month, Filipinos have been talking about two conspiracies that aim to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte. Are these reports credible?

The first plot involves former United States Ambassador Philip Goldberg, who allegedly penned a blueprint for the ouster of Duterte before he left the country last year. This was reported in December by Manila Times, a major English-language daily. 

The second plot pertains to the publication of an archived e-mail thread of the Global Filipino Diaspora Council, which reportedly discussed the campaign for the removal of Duterte. Social media supporters of Duterte have accused Vice President Leni Robredo of being part of this campaign. 

With regard to the first plot, the U.S. embassy in Manila released a statement denying the existence of any anti-Duterte blueprint. It emphasized that "the United States respects the sovereignty of the Philippines and the democratic choices made by the Philippine people in selecting their leaders." 

Nonetheless, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez wanted a congressional investigation to determine if rumors of a plot had any basis. 

“If true, this has serious consequences not only on our country’s political stability but also on the economic and social fabric of our nation. It would also have grave repercussions on our relationship with the United States,” the speaker said in a statement. 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay supports the probe, noting that Goldberg was expelled from Bolivia in 2008, with the government accusing him of fomenting civil unrest against President Evo Morales. 

Goldberg once had a public feud with Duterte when he denounced the latter for making a joke about rape. Duterte responded by accusing the American senior diplomat of meddling in Philippine affairs. 

According to the Manila Times story, Goldberg proposed the use of a combination of “socio-economic-political-diplomatic moves against Duterte to bring him to his knees and eventually remove him from office.” 

In early January, this plot was superseded by another plot that implicated the country’s vice president. Dubbed as #LeniLeaks, the plot pertained to an e-mail exchange between groups that wanted to promote the public image of the vice president while criticizing the Duterte government. 

Robredo has already categorically denied that she is part of any group that advocates the ouster of Duterte. She claimed that the president was “misinformed” about reports that she joined anti-Duterte rallies last year. She also insisted that her criticism of some of Duterte’s policies should not be interpreted as a call for the overthrow of the president. She warned that plotting to unseat Duterte will only bring harm to the country since it will scare away investors. 

Some of the individuals identified in the e-mail thread dismissed the plot as mere speculation. Some even reminded the president’s supporters that it was Duterte himself who promised to resign if he failed to end the drug menace in three to six months. Duterte became president on June 30 last year. 

The Cabinet didn’t tackle the #LeniLeaks plot in its meetings but some Palace officials are not taking the issue lightly. 

The Duterte government can confidently brush aside any talk or plot to remove Duterte from power since he currently enjoys high public support. 

What should trouble the government is that in less than a year since assuming the presidency, there are already several serious initiatives that seek to undermine Duterte’s credibility as a leader. We can choose to ignore the conspiracies and dubious Internet plots but there still remains a growing constituency that supports the campaign to hold Duterte accountable for the rampant drug-related human rights abuses purportedly committed by state forces. 

Duterte has also antagonized powerful local and foreign interests to such an extent that any of these groups can be accused of plotting to topple the government. 

Duterte, who is proud of his knowledge of local history, should know better. Two Philippine presidents were deposed by peaceful uprisings during the first quarter of 1986 and 2001. Perhaps the reported anti-Duterte plots reflect a real fear on the part of the ruling party that some groups are preparing to repeat history.