Trillanes deplores ‘wrong’ intel sources amid red-tagging of Robredo
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday, March 14, dismissed as mere “propaganda” and “fake news” the red-tagging efforts on Vice President Leni Robredo, his presidential candidate for the May 2022 polls.
Trillanes, who is aiming to return to the Senate, said Robredo’s detractors are using the communist tag because they can’t find any negative issue to throw at her.
“Unang una, talagang nagsaliksik po kami at talagang hindi po totoo ‘yan. Maliwanag ‘yan na propaganda at tinitingnan namin iyong (First of all, we really researched and that’s not true. That’s a clear propaganda and we are looking at their) communication plan nila, talagang malalim ito (it is really in depth),” he said in a press conference in Bulacan.
“At dire-diretsohin ito kasi wala silang mahanap sa aming kandidatong si VP Leni sa kanyang pagkatao, sa kanyang track record, kaya maghahanap ng ibang issue (And they will continue this because they can’t find anything against our candidate VP Leni Robredo in her character, in her track record, that’s why they will look for other issues),” he added.
The former senator was with the Vice President in Malolos City, where BulacanGovernor Daniel Fernando and his local allies endorsed Robredo’s candidacy for the upcoming polls.
Robredo refuted again allegations that her camp is conspiring with communist rebels following the claims of some public officials.
President Duterte on Sunday claimed that he received an intelligence report about a supposed conspiracy between communist insurgents, “yellow” forces, and another unspecified group that are allegedly working to disrupt the 2022 elections.
READ: Duterte claims: 'Dilawan'-communist tie-up poised for election disruption'
Senator Panfilo Lacson also warned of an alleged “communist infiltration” in Robredo’s campaign and urged her team “to take appropriate action.”
The allegations came in the wake of the claims made by Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla who said some of the attendees in Robredo’s campaign rally in General Trias recently were members of the communist movement.
The Vice President said the allegations that she has joined forces with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the Communist Party of the Philippines, and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA) has no basis.
“Ito kasing red-tagging walang pinagmulan. Si Sen. Sonny ang unang sumagot nito, na (This red-tagging has no basis. Sen. Sonny was first to answer it, that) of all people hindi siya papayag na magpa-infiltrate kami. Hindi siya papayag na makipag-coalesce kami sa CPP-NPA (he will not allow us to be infiltrated. He will not allow us to coalesce with the CPP-NPA),” she said.
READ: Robredo camp fights back; 'critics' irresponsible red-tagging a new low’
In defense of Robredo, Trillanes belied the black propaganda linking the presidential candidate to communists by citing the “wrong” intel sources of the government’s anti-insurgency task force.
“I was right all along. Their intel sources are wrong. The names mentioned by NTF-ELCAC are not part of the campaign team of Team Leni-Kiko,” he said in a later statement.
“This is nothing but fake news propagated by individuals in their desperate attempt to stop the overwhelming political tide of support for VP Leni,” Trillanes added.
The Magdalo leader likened the intel sources to the “Oust Duterte matrix” that was presented by former chief presidential legal counsel and now senatorial aspirant Salvador Panelo in 2019. This matrix supposedly showed personalities involved in a conspiracy to discredit the current administration.