Senator Francis Pangillinan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he Liberal Party (LP) has nothing to do with alleged ouster moves against President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said聽Friday.
This after the issue was raised again in Thursday鈥檚聽Senate inquiry on the spate of drug-related deaths under the Duterte administration, with the President鈥檚 close ally and defeated running mate Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano suspecting that the investigation could be 鈥淟P鈥檚 plan to take back Malaca帽ang.鈥�
READ: Cayetano says Plan B of LP to remove Duterte under way
鈥淲e deny being involved in any ouster effort. This accusation is unfounded and baseless,鈥� said Pangilinan in a text message Thursday.
He said criticism of the President鈥檚 anti-drug war should not be readily taken as efforts to remove him from power.
The President, swept to power by strong public support particularly in social media, has remained highly popular despite recent gaffes and amid international criticism over his bloody war against illegal drugs.
鈥淐riticisms on the conduct of the campaign against illegal drugs should not be construed as efforts directed at ousting the President,鈥� said Pangilinan.
His partymates in the chamber, such as Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon, Sen. Leila de Lima and Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, earlier denied any such plot, saying members of former President Benigno Aquino III鈥檚 鈥測ellow鈥� bloc have not even met recently.
The LP is part of the majority coalition in the Senate, aligning with the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the President鈥檚 party.
READ: Duterte accuses LP of plotting to oust him
At a Senate hearing聽on Thursday, Cayetano, a Nacionalista party member fiercely loyal to the President, confronted confessed hitman Edgar Matobato and De Lima on the motives behind his testimony.
Matobato had implicated Duterte in vigilante slays in Davao City, saying the President was behind the creation of the notorious Davao Death Squad.
鈥淚 want to show that there is a possible motive to destroy the President here鈥� I鈥檓 asking about you [Sen. De Lima], your motive, and the motive of your party in this hearing鈥� I am testing whether [the witnesses are credible] or is this part of the 鈥榩lan B鈥� of the Liberal Party to take back Malaca帽ang,鈥� said Cayetano, who lost his vice presidential bid to the LP鈥檚 Ma. Leonor 鈥淟eni鈥� Robredo in the May elections.
To Matobato, Cayetano said: 鈥淚鈥檓 testing whether what you鈥檙e saying is true or not鈥� If this is just a drawing, an invention, and if you were brought here to bring down the administration,鈥� he said.聽RAM/rga