Duterte no intention to cling on to his power, says Abella

Negating claims of the opposition, Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said that the recent moves of President Rodrigo Duterte is part of his duty to protect the state, not a strategy to cling onto power.

“There is a world of difference between the President exercising his bounden duty, and the malicious accusation that he has a hidden agenda in doing so,” Abella said.

This came after senators of the Liberal Party (LP) expressed grave concern, as they believe that what the president is doing, such as that of attacking democratic institutions, the Supreme Court and the Office of the Ombudsman, is an “alarming and unproductive” threat that is part of a “veiled attempt of the administration to consolidate power or intimidate independent institutions.”

Moreover, Abella stressed that Duterte’s offer to step down from presidency was a “clear statement that he has no intention of clinging onto power.”

DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 10/ 06 /17