Nagsalita na si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa kumakalat na umano’y “polvoron” video ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., na ipinalabas daw sa Maisug gatherings sa Vancouver, Canada at Los Angeles, USA.
Sa isang pahayag nitong Lunes, Hulyo 22, iginiit ni Duterte na walang kinalaman ang Hakbang ng Maisug national leadership sa kumakalat na video sa iba’t ibang social media platforms.
“The Hakbang ng Maisug national leadership has nothing to do with the release of the video footage showing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the act of snorting cocaine in Maisug gatherings in Vancouver, Canada and Los Angeles, USA,” pahayag ni Duterte.
“It was a decision made entirely by the Maisug volunteers in the said two places without the knowledge and imprimatur of the Maisug organizing committee. The members of the Maisug leadership is just as surprised as the rest of the country when they saw it for the first time.
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“As expected, the Marcos administration swiftly challenged the authenticity of the so-called
‘polvoron’ video, saying the ‘obviously fake video’ is ‘again another maliciously crude attempt to destabilize the administration’ of President Marcos,” dagdag niya.
Binanggit din ng dating pangulo na ang simpleng pahayag ng pamahalaan para pabulaanan ang naturang video ay hindi umano malakas na depensa, bagkus ay dapat umano itong sumailalim sa “hair follicle drug test.”
“The Marcos administration's feeble attempt to dismiss the video by simple denial actually reinforces the simmering suspicion of President Marcos drug addiction. As any lawyer knows, denial is the weakest form of defense. It has to do better than that,” giit ni Duterte.
“Even the ordinary man on the street knows that the best way to put the issue to rest is for President Marcos to undergo a hair follicle drug test. When undertaken by a credible drug testing center, a negative result would erase all doubts once and for all.”“Instead of doing that, however, President Marcos responded either with feigned laughter, feeble denial or complete silence. A drug user for a President is no laughing matter and he should be first one to know that. In a critical juncture in the nation's history when he has threatened to send the country's soldiers to war, the President's drug habit poses a clear and present danger.”
“With due apologies to all the experts who vouched for the authenticity of the video, the refusal of President Marcos to undergo the hair follicle drug test is the best proof not only of the video's authenticity but, worse, his drug addiction,” saad pa ni Duterte.
Iginiit din ng dating pangulo na ang naging pahayag ng Department of National Defense (DND) kaugnay ng isyu ay isa umanong sampal sa mukha ng mga sundalong nabubuhay sa “highest code of conduct” ng military.
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“The denial issued by the Department of National Defense (DND) is a slap in the face of every patriotic and honorable soldier who lives by the military's highest code of conduct. It is bad enough that the DND has to do the dirty job of issuing the denial. It is worse that in doing so it has become a party to a despicable act it should have been fighting against in the first place,” ani Duterte.
“It is strange that instead of confronting the President about it, the mainstream media who once proudly boasted as the freest press in Asia has chosen to look the other way. If subsequent events prove that his drug habits are indeed true, they will forever be haunted by the memory of having contributed to the massive cover-up of his criminal activities,” saad pa niya.
Sa naturang pahayag ay kinondena rin ni Duterte ang pagkampi umano ng Senado at Kongreso kay Marcos.
“The shameless act of legislators from both Senate and Congress to stand with President Marcos at this time of moral and legal crisis will forever be remembered by our people. They had this chance to be on the right side of history but they just wasted this chance.”
“By this act of showing in public what had been long whispered in private, the men and women of Maisug have proven themselves worthy to be called Filipinos. They have exposed themselves to danger and harm but they are ready to make the sacrifices to rid this country of a head of state that is an embarrassment all over the world. They now proudly take their place in the annals of Philippine history for standing up when the rest cowered in fear,” saad ni Duterte.
“The next few days will be very crucial to every Filipino and the Filipino nation. It will require every citizen to decide whether to be part of those who seek the truth and those who those involved in the cover-up. It is a choice between standing up and demanding that this country enforce the law without fear or favor, or hiding in fear and self-preservation.
It will not be an easy choice. Either way, it will define us individually and as a people. Staying neutral is actually a vote of confidence for an administration that shows no compunction. Whatever that decision and choice may be, the consequences will remain with us.”
“Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘The fiery trial through which we must pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.’ Indeed, we are passing through a fiery trial, and history will ultimately judge us whether we did so in honor or dishonor,” dagdag pa ng dating pangulo.
