The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it does not want to be involved in political issues after former president Rodrigo Duterte called on the military to protect the Constitution in his latest tirade against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Ang ini-emphasize natin dito, the AFP is a non-partisan organization. As our [Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr.] has already stated, our Armed Forces is united and professional,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press briefing.
“So, with all of these things, we respectfully request that we are shunned away from political issues,” she added.
On Monday, Duterte called Marcos a drug addict and challenged the AFP to protect the Constitution.
“There is a fractured governance sa Pilipinas ngayon (in the Philippines now). Nobody can correct Marcos, nobody can correct Romualdez… There is no urgent remedy… It is only the military who can correct it,” Duterte said in a press conference.
“Hanggang kailan kayo mag suporta ng drug addict na Presidente (How long will you support a drug addict President)? I challenge the whole military kasi they’re supposed to be the protector of the Constitution,” he added.
Responding to an earlier accusation from Duterte that he was a drug addict, Marcos responded, “I think it’s the fentanyl.”
“It is highly addictive and it has very serious side effects. And [President Rodrigo D. Duterte] has been taking the drug for a very long time now. When was the last time he told us that he was taking fentanyl? Mga (Around) five, six years ago? Something like that. After five, six years it has to affect him,” Marcos said on January 2024.
The AFP spokesperson pointed out that political issues are “all noise” and there are more issues that should be addressed.
“These are all noise that is going on. And we request po na do not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead. So, marami po tayong issues na dapat harapin na hindi po natin gusto na malihis po ang usapin sa ibat ibang ingay na kumakalat po,” she said.
(These are all noises that are going on. And we request that we do not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead. So, we have many issues to deal with that we don’t want to divert the discussion to different noises.)
For Padilla, there is no need for a loyalty check among the ranks as Brawner trusts that AFP personnel will perform their task.
“At this point, there is no need for loyalty checks. Our Chief of Staff has already stated that he trusts that each soldier will perform its mandate accordingly and remain professional. Ang amin pong loyalty is to the flag and to the Constitution and we adhere to the chain of command,” she said. —RF, GMA Integrated News
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