Trillanes hit part of Oplan October Moon

Many are asking why President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his minions did what they did when they issued a proclamation revoking the amnesty given to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Inquirer columnist and known Duterte supporter Mon Tulfo thinks it was a wrong move, while Manila Standard Today columnist and also a Duterte believer Jojo Robles justified the move as a reaction to an intelligence report stating that Trillanes and his group are out to wrest power from Mr. Duterte in a CIA-backed coup d'etat.

We ask--what is the true reason behind this proclamation which tried to effect an arrest against Trillanes when every single soul here in this bigoted land know that the senator's previous crimes have all been erased due to the amnesty given not just to him, but many others, by Duterte's predecessor Benigno S. Aquino III.

Right now, Mr. Duterte's administration is busy creating an impression that what they did was entirely legal and within the scope of powers granted to them by the Constitution. However, the patent illegality of this proclamation puts Mr. Duterte at a very tight spot.

Let's not discuss legal positions and analyze this based on politics. What really drove Mr. Duterte and his men? Why the rush to get Trillanes behind bars?

For all intents and purposes, Senator Trillanes may actually be considered a spent force prior to this legal monstrosity. Trillanes is on his last term as a senator and talks are rife that he is considering either retiring from politics or getting a local post, a plan which is entirely fraught with danger. Trillanes does not have a solid mass base. He is a Bicolano born and raised in Caloocan. His official address is in Antipolo. How in hell would he even win a gubernatorial post in Bicol or even Congressman of Caloocan? If you are talking about Antipolo where there is a solid group of Magdalos there, Trillanes would be foolhardy fighting the Ynares family there or the Punos.

Trillanes fate remains uncertain after 2019. He will just wait it out for 3 years. The question now--why the rush to neutralize him?

The answer is simple--among existing opposition forces, Trillanes' group presents the most viable force nearly equal to that of Duterte's. The Magdalos are an organized movement. They have presence in most places, except Mindanao where their presence got scandalized by erroneous organizational issues.

So, if the target is Trillanes and his group, then, why now? Why not hit them after May 2019, which I think, they would be their weakest state?

Based on inquiries, the answer is Calida. Calida is fearful of the probe being undertaken by Trillanes. Calida is a member of Duterte's inner circle. A controversy involving Calida would surely weaken his faction within Duterte's inner group.

Aside from Calida, another group waits in the wing, waiting for conditions to ripen for them to act. Sources shared that a pro-Duterte group is consolidating their forces to effect a "palace coup."

This palace coup intends to force Mr. Duterte to declare a revolutionary government prior before October 2018 ends. Their aim is to frustrate or prevent the 2019 mid-term elections from happening and make Mr. Duterte prepare a Council that will administer the nation during the so-called "interregnum" which they envision to be from October to May 2019. They want a plebiscite for a new government undertaken by May 2019. This group's activities are being supported by government money.

What is preventing this group from accomplishing their mission is the existence of two more groups within Mr. Duterte's circle that does not want that to happen. A group composed of ex-Generals is promoting the interests of their principal-- a son of a political personality. They want to finish the decision of a case on October and effect a smooth transition of power by that time. Sources say, the son had already secured an assurance from the Pentagon of US support.

The thing is, this group's interests are clashing with the interests of another pro-Duterte group composed of officials of another of Mr. Duterte's predecessor. This group was instrumental in Mr. Duterte's electoral win. They were the ones who organized Mr. Duterte's rounds in the provinces and the consolidation of anti-LP forces in support of Mr. Duterte's. When Mr. Duterte assumed power, these people immediately nominated their representatives in different departments and agencies and are practically the power behind Mr. Duterte's government. The thing is, they are also the ones manipulating this food crisis to force government contracts where they will actually benefit from. They are the ones benefiting from the monthly grease monies from syndicates imbedded in the bureaucracy.

These groups are now the ones causing these problems within the Duterte administration. These groups know how weak anti-Duterte forces are so they are exploiting the situation for their own political interests. It seemed that Mr. Duterte is also consolidating his own thru his daughter Sara and thru Mr. Bong Go, who now goes the rounds purposely for his senatorial bid but behind that, Mr. Go's mission is really create a group of Duterte's supporter mass base.

So, every one is consolidating forces in the eventuality of a shift of power from Mr. Duterte to another group. It seemed that Mr. Duterte is not joking when he publicly announced his decision to really hand over power. Sources say Mr. Duterte is tired and concerned with the way things are happening and is entirely worried of the fallout.