PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday warned that he’s ready to fight back and give people plotting his ouster a bloody nose.
“Well, the Lord made a way to place me here, so it’s destiny. If I get to survive six months and one day, that’s part of my destiny. That is your presidency in this planet,” Duterte told CNN Philippines in a live TV interview.
“If I am still around next year to host the Asean, that’s my destiny. I said, whatever the Lord wants for me, I’ll accept it. But if you tell me, you’ll mess with me, I cannot say anything. But I could give you a bloody nose, really,” he added.
Duterte also reminded the United States and other critics of his bloody war on illegal drugs that he had to honor his contract with the people.
Rumors of a destabilization campaign swirled after blueprints for the President’s ouster, attributed to former US Ambassador Phillip Goldberg—whom Duterte had called an “annoying homosexual”–circulated.
Without referring to Goldberg by name, Duterte called him America’s top spy in the country and said he was expelled from Bolivia for fomenting civil unrest there.
“The career officials at the same time, they do spying,” he said of American envoys. “They are really connected with the CIA. The ambassador of a country is the number one spy.”
“Goldberg started to dig under, to erode the foundation of the presidency and he was expelled [as a] persona non grata,” he said.
Duterte said he considers his ouster “a possiblity,” but said he does not fear what God will bring him.
The President, who has been criticized for his bloody war on drugs, told the Commission on Human Rights that any investigation against him will not prosper.
“CHR? They go nowhere,” he added.
On Thursday, Duterte said he is not keen on declaring Martial Law after Vice President Leni Robredo accused him of seeking one-man rule.
But Duterte said that he can only declare Martial Law in case of a foreign invasion.
He also said it was “useless” to declare martial law, because he could declare a state of lawlessness.
“Rebellion, insurrection? That’s nothing. I said, you just declare war against them. You don’t have to declare war against the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
The Palace on Thursday said the recent bombings in Cotabato and Leyte won’t become excuses for Duterte to declare Martial Law.
“These are not indicators [for declaring Martial Law],” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
“It’s an area of concern but not for alarm.”
Asked if the Palace received briefings from state forces about the bomb attacks, he said: “I’m sure they have heard about it. But we don’t have any reports regarding specifics.”
