THE camp of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has accused the Liberal Party (LP) of “hatching (out) a black propaganda and psychological warfare operations” to derail his presidential bid.
“The plot is to reportedly picture Duterte as a pro-American candidate hiding behind the platform of federalism to allow easy access for US companies to the rich mineral resources of Mindanao, particularly metallic ores,” Duterte’s camp said in a statement yesterday.
Duterte’s camp said the information came from a staff member of the LP, who was not identified by their source.
Citing the insider, the camp said “the hatchet job was planned somewhere in Western Mindanao where the Liberal Party has diehard members.”
“They want to picture Duterte’s populist image as a mere façade to push for a federal system of government. Once it is in place, they will say it will grant easy access for the US to establish US bases in Mindanao,” Duterte’s camp said.
The camp cited the 47 percent voter preference of Duterte in Mindanao. “The LP will also allegedly try to picture Duterte as a coddler of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as well as an ally of the communist-led New People’s Army,” Duterte camp spokesman Peter Laviña said. The Liberal Party, however, denied the allegations of Duterte’s camp.
“Mayor Duterte keeps claiming that there are conspiracies against him, but all his fantasies have been proven false, from a supposed disqualification to an alleged DOJ case, none of which materialized,” Ibarra “Barry” Gutierrez III told INQUIRER.net
Gutierrez then slammed Duterte’s supporters, whom he described as “experts at black propaganda.”