Duterte says coup just a waste of time; reiterates readiness to step down
President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated there was no need for the military to stage a coup d'etat to oust him from office.
Duterte has said that he is ready to step down.
He made the statement amid the alleged "Red October" plot to oust him.
In an interview in Malacanang on Thursday, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the Red October plot allegedly being hatched by the communist rebels has been there for two years.
"The CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) has their own plan. They have their own front," he said.
Asked if the opposition Liberal Party was part of the plan, Esperon cited its link to Tindig Pilipinas coalition, which has been critical of the Duterte administration.
He said whether the LP knows the ouster plot or not by the Maoist group, it will be a "witting or unwitting" beneficiary if Duterte is removed from office.
Vice President Leni Robredo, the constitutional successor, belongs to the LP.
"Do not go into such stupid things as coup d'etat, coup d'etat or what. You're wasting your time," Duterte said in a speech on Wednesday in Laguna.
He said the military would just waste its time if it would launch a coup.
"Just talk to me. And if I think that you are right, I will agree with you and I will step down. I will go home," said Duterte, who made similar statement in front of the government employees in a ceremony in Malacanang on Thursday.
Duterte said he did not want to see the members of the Presidential Security Group and other soldiers or law enforcers killing each other. Celerina Monte/DMS
