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DND belies alleged kill-Noynoy plot


The Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday belied statements made by the mayor of Cagayan de Oro that a local official from Mindanao is plotting to kill President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, explaining that the Defense secretary was quoted "out of context." DND spokesperson Eduardo Batac said there is at present no “concrete" plot by any armed group to assassinate Aquino, contrary to statements made by Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano that a group linked to the robbery and kidnap gang Kuratong Baleleng is reportedly plotting to kill the President. “There was nothing concrete as far as any assassination plot is concerned. This is direct from the Secretary of National Defense," he told reporters on Wednesday. Batac made this statement after Emano was earlier quoted in an interview over Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro as saying that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin asked him on Tuesday about a supposed assassination plot against Aquino. According to Emano, Gazmin even said that Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, former leader of the Kuratong Baleleng gang, is involved in the supposed plot to kill the President. Batac however said that Emano quoted Gazmin “out of context." The DND spokesperson said that Gazmin only answered Emano’s question about “possible threats" against the President during their conversation last Tuesday. “The answer of Secretary Gazmin was, being the President, he [Aquino] can be subjected to a lot of threats, including possible assassination plots. That was the context of the conversation between the two good friends," he said. He added that Gazmin was only “considering possible angles," having been himself the head of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) during the administration of the president’s mother, the late Corazon Aquino. Batac likewise said that Gazmin only mentioned Parojinog’s name “tangentially" during his conversation with Emano “(They were talking about) what possible armed groups are there which used to be ideologues… So they come into the picture as possibilities… That is not really pinpointing," he said. In a separate interview over Bombo Radyo, Parojinog likewise denied the report that he is plotting to kill the President. He said that he cannot kill a person, much less the country’s highest government official.—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV/HS, GMANews.TV

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