MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte slammed communists on Wednesday, September 26, in the face of a supposed ouster plot being hatched by his former professor, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison.

Duterte was addressing law enforcers at the send-off ceremony of 250 units of transport vehicles for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna.

“Fifty years, walang ginawa ang komunista kundi pumatay, mang-extort (For 50 years, communists did nothing but kill, extort),” said the President in his speech on Wednesday afternoon.

Duterte said he is happy that the Commission on Appointments rejected the appointments of leftists in government. Rejected left-leaning members of his Cabinet include former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo and former agrarian reform secretary Rafael Mariano.

Duterte also said he is not ready to talk to communists again.

The Philippine military has floated a supposed Red October ouster plot against Duterte, but critics deny and experts downplay this possibility. Duterte himself on Monday, September 24, accused some soldiers of being “in cahoots” with the opposition Liberal Party to oust him.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, September 25, cleared Vice President Leni Robredo in the supposed ouster plot, but he asserted there is intelligence information on this. – Rappler.com