It reeks of desperation, the President now asserting that there is someone out to get his government and / or its war on drugs, which to him is proven by the corpses turning up with heads wrapped in tape.

“The police would not wrap (victims). That is not the job of the police to…you wrap, that’s foolishness. So there are saboteurs. <…> That’s why I have said to, the PNP Chief is here, to closely look into this because we are being sabotaged.”

Sabotaged? It sounds like the President is merely echoing his supporters about a (dilawan) destabilization plot against him, which is really nothing more than an excuse that absolves government of all responsibility for the state of violence on our streets, police brutality included. If we let this pass, and allow Duterte to imagine we believe this narrative to be true, then the next thing we know everything wrong with this government will be blamed on sabotage.

Taguiwalao and Mariano not confirmed? Sabotage! The Senate refuses the terrible National Budget that D(uterte)-House of Representatives is putting together where Oplan Tokhang gets BILLIONS in funding? Sabotage! The Senate puts into question the impeachment of Sereno and Morales? Sabotage! People rally out on the streets against the killings and this culture of violence? Sabotage! And of course the expected (and already articulated outcome): Duterte must now declare Martial Law because look! Saboteurs all around!

We can see through this strategy. And this is so easy to discredit using Duterte’s own words.
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