Philippine House of Representatives Speaker Jose de Venecia said on Sunday he has received an intelligence report about a plot to kidnap President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

De Venecia told the media that the report was revealed to him by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales who said groups desperate to remove Arroyo from power were behind the plot.

But he did not identify the proponents behind the alleged kidnapping plan.

His remarks came one day after Senator Mariam Santiago claimed that the opposition tried to assassinate Arroyo in a coup attempt.

Santiago said that she was tipped off by someone close to a relative of Senate president Franklin Drilon about a plot to oust Arroyo in a coup by military officials close to former president Corazon Aquino.

Drilon denied Santiago's claims.

Source: Xinhua