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By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, July 16, dismissed as another fake news the alleged walkout of certain military generals during a recent command conference with a top government official.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said there is no truth to rumors that military generals have walked out of the room during a command conference at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
“That’s fake news. I was there personally. There is nothing of that sort that happened,” Padilla said in a press conference at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.
The rumors originated from a July 16 vlog published on Youtube, a video-sharing platform, by a vlogger, apparently a retired military official, who goes by the name "The General's Viewpoint."
The clip featured a supposed radio commentary from a DZRH reporter who cited an unnamed source and claimed that a military general walked out from a command conference last July 4 at Camp Aguinaldo following a heated discussion with a top government official over a national security issue.
President Marcos Jr. led the mid-year AFP command conference at Camp Aguinaldo on July 4 with Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo, and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
It was also attended by service unit commanders, ground commanders, and other high-ranking officials.
Accordingly, following a heated discussion by an unnamed AFP general with his “boss,” the general stood up, rendered a salute, and said: “Permission to leave, sir.” Other generals in the room allegedly followed suit.
But Padilla said that no walkout of generals happened during the top-level meeting.
“It was a very professional exchange of ideas and discussions and there [were] also a lot of updates that [were] given. It all ended on a positive note,” she said.
Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS), also refuted the rumors, describing it as "50 percent fabrication, 50 percent imagination, and 100 percent false."
"The AFP senior officers and the entire organization for that matter conducts itself in the highest level of professionalism," said Trinidad, who was also present during the command conference.
"It's 'marites' warfare. The chain of command is intact. We have a very good and robust working relationship with higher headquarters especially with the Department of National Defense," he added.
In recent weeks, rumors were circulating about a supposed discontent within the ranks especially after the brutal June 17 resupply mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal where China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel were seen brandishing bladed weapons against unarmed elite Philippine Navy (PN) troopers.
During the botched mission, the Chinese forces also rammed an AFP boat which led to the dismemberment of a finger of a navy personnel, destroyed Philippine boats and equipment, and seized the PN's firearms.
Initially, Executive Secretary Bersamin had described the incident as a "misunderstanding" and "accident" in a press conference on July 21. Defense and security analysts warned that toning down the rhetoric about the violent incident could send a wrong message not only to the AFP officers but to the troops on the ground.
Teodoro eventually disagreed with Bersamin in a separate press conference held three days after the latter's remark, as the defense chief insisted that what the Chinese forces did was a "deliberate aggressive action" intended to stop the resupply mission.
Following this, AFP chief Brawner also stressed that the morale of the troops remained high despite the sorry mission, emphasizing that there is no need for a loyalty check within the organization.
He also appealed to the public to be critical of information that they pick up online as there was an "alarming surge" of fake news circulating on social media which are aimed at eroding the public's trust in the national government and its institutions, including the military.
This call was reiterated anew by PN's Trinidad: "Let us be very careful in picking up stories and check on the veracity especially the source. We have to be very careful lest we pickup the wrong narratives. Again, the AFP is a professional organization."