Another day, another matrix: Duterte spokesman alleges conspiracy between various groups to discredit, oust Duterte

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo. Photo: Screenshot from Malacañang Palace
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo. Photo: Screenshot from Malacañang Palace

Here comes Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo showing another matrix.

Panelo today showed another diagram which supposedly shows that members of the Liberal Party (LP), Magdalo Party-List, and media organizations are working together to allegedly discredit and oust President Rodrigo Duterte.

He also alleged that they are discrediting the president because these groups want to boost the candidacies of LP’s senatorial candidates.

“The President himself has received informations (sic)… that has been validated and appears to show that there is deliberate attempt to discredit this administration as well as to boost the candidacies of the opposition,” Panelo said.

He said that the people implicated shared the Ang Totoong Narco List (The Real Narco List) videos among themselves. Ang Totoong Narco List is a series of videos which accused several members of Duterte’s camp of benefitting from the illegal drug trade.

Panelo identified some people allegedly behind the ouster plot including journalist Ellen Tordesillas, the founder of media organization VERA Files; former presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda; blogger Eduardo “Cocoy” Dayao; Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison; Senator Antonio Trillanes IV; the alleged sharer of the Ang Totoong Narco List videos Rodel Jayme; and a certain Bong Banal.

Banal, Panelo alleged, is the narrator in Ang Totoong Narco List. He is also allegedly active on Facebook pages which are supportive of the LP. According to Panelo, Banal is allegedly working for news website Rappler. However, one of the website’s employees Marga Deona said she’s never heard of Banal.

Also involved in the alleged ouster plot, according to Panelo, are Rappler and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

Another journalist implicated is newscaster Gretchen Ho, who said she hasn’t even seen the Ang Totoong Narco List videos.

However, Panelo said he is unaware of who the mastermind behind the whole ouster plot is. He also said that the information that Duterte received came from “many sources.” When prodded as to who these sources are, Panelo told reporters that they have to ask Duterte themselves.

Panelo insisted that the information the president received has been validated.

“Knowing him he would have validated any information he has received,” he said confidently.

Last month, Panelo released a matrix which alleged that Tordesillas distributed the Ang Totoong Narco List videos to Rappler, the National Union of People’s Lawyers, and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).

Initially, he said that last month’s matrix came from Duterte, but Panelo later backtracked and said it came from an unknown source.

Panelo said they are ready to file a case against the accused once the Philippine National Police (PNP) has sufficient evidence to present.

“If what they are doing is black propaganda, that means it’s libelous. The moment the PNP has sufficient evidence, we will file a case against all of them.”



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