No link between Saycon appointment, ‘destabilization plot’: Palace

FILE: Saycon reportedly told the media on Thursday that the Catholic Church could be used by some groups to destabilize the Duterte government, a claim disputed by Roque. (YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA — Pastor ‘Boy’ Saycon has been appointed as commissioner of the EDSA People Power Commission but not to suppress any possible destabilization attempt against President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang clarified on Thursday.

Saycon, secretary general of the Council for Philippine Affairs (COPA), was also recently appointed by Duterte as one of four members of a presidential committee tasked to hold dialogue with religious groups following Duterte’s recent remarks against Catholic Church.

Other members of the four-man panel include Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, former Palace spokesman and now Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella, and Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco.

“I don’t think so,” Roque said, when asked during the Palace press briefing if Saycon’s appointment was aimed at quelling any destabilization plot.

“I think Pastor Saycon was included, because we know that he has very clear lines of communication with many of our church leaders in the Catholic Church,” he added.

Saycon reportedly told the media on Thursday that the Catholic Church could be used by some groups to destabilize the Duterte government, a claim disputed by Roque.

“No, no. In the first place, the President is secure with his faith, the church is secure with their mission for this country. What we aspire is for the two institutions to serve better our nation,” Roque said.

Roque said Saycon, a newcomer in the Duterte administration, should follow communication line protocols and avoid talking to the media about sensitive information such as any destabilization plot.

“I really don’t know where the information came from. But I can assure you, we will have a briefing for him on the release of communication for public consumption,” Roque said.

“I’ll have to tell him to be more careful about what he says to the public and to the media and that there’s vetting processes before we’re able to say anything to the media,” he added.

In a television interview on Thursday, Saycon said the destabilization plot against Duterte is real.

“The effort to remove him from office is something that he attributes to some of the leaders of the Catholic Church,” Saycon said during the interview.