The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) does not need to conduct a loyalty check among its military personnel amid a deepening rift between the two highest officials of the land, President Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, as it made clear where its loyalty lies: to the Philippine flag and the Constitution.
This was pointed out by AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla on Tuesday, Nov. 26, saying that the military leadership knows every soldier will do the right thing, and this is to continue performing their mandate of securing the nation and the people.
“At this point, there is no need for loyalty checks,” Padilla said.
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr., according to Padilla, trusts that each soldier will perform their sworn duty accordingly, and remain professional.
“Our loyalty is to the flag and to the Constitution, and we adhere to the chain of command,” Padilla stressed, referring to the hierarchical structure of ranks and positions in the military where each person reports to a superior with more authority.
Marcos earlier said that he will fight back against the assassination threat made by Duterte against him, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
For the AFP, Padilla requested that the military be spared from politics as it is a non-partisan organization, following former president Rodrigo Duterte’s remarks that only the military can “correct” the “fractured governance” of Marcos.
“We act as a barometer in all of these issues,” Padilla said. “As our Chief of Staff has already stated, our Armed Forces is united and professional. So, with all of these things, we respectfully request that we are shunned away from political issues.”
Not losing focus in WPS
Meanwhile, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said the “political noise” will not distract them from more important matters, such as China’s continued presence in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
From November 1 to 25, the AFP has conducted 54 successful patrol missions to reinforce the security in the WPS, including sealift missions, maritime sovereignty patrols, search and rescue operation, and resupply mission.
“We have monitored the presence of the PLA [People’s Liberation Army]-Navy, the [China] Coast Guard and the [Chinese] maritime militia all over the expanse of the West Philippine Sea. Again, their presence is still illegal. Their prolonged stay will not justify their presence. We have monitored them, we challenge them each time we have a maritime activity,” Trinidad said.
The admiral insisted that the AFP’s chain of command is “intact” even as there are some individuals who spread false information to weaken the organization.
“Amid all the developments of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, I would like to say that your Armed Forces will remain loyal to the Constitution and the duly constituted civil authorities,” Trinidad said.
“To those who are spreading misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation designed to weaken the chain of command, listen and listen well: the chain of command is intact. It is secured. It will remain intact and secured. We take pride in being military professionals,” he noted.