If you ever see posts on social media that a soldier has resigned from the military service to express solidarity with arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte, do not believe them right away.
Thus, said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, March 18, as it belied social media posts claiming that some troops have quit after the arrest of the former leader, saying the resignation of troops is a formal process that cannot be made only via social media.
“Our resignation is strictly a formal process. You cannot resign via social media. You cannot post there that you are resigning. Even in corporate organizations, I don’t think that is the proper forum to do it,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters in a press briefing.
Since the arrest of Duterte last March 11, the internet has been flooded with social media posts claiming that troops supporting him have opted to resign in an act of defiance against the chain of command.
In the Philippine National Police (PNP), a cop identified as Patrolman Francis Steve Fontillas has openly criticized the police organization and threatened to start a war against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Interpol because of what he claims as “illegal arrest” made by police officers on Duterte.
He is now facing charges of inciting to sedition in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 filed by the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).
Fontillas argued that he was merely expressing his stand and principles. “Where's our right to freedom of expression now? Kawawa naman ang Pilipinas (Philippines is pitiful),” he said.
For its part, the AFP said it has not monitored any personnel resigning from the service following Duterte’s arrest.
“There are no reports of AFP personnel resigning. We also cannot file cases against anybody because we have not monitored anyone posting on social media,” Padilla said.
“We have the necessary policies that are in place, social media policies within the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and any personnel that are found to be [in] violation of this will be sanctioned accordingly,” she added.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), believes that certain domestic and foreign interest groups are behind the proliferation of fake news on social media to sow intrigue and divide the AFP and the Filipino people.
"Interest groups, domestic and foreign, would like to sow intrigue, disinformation, misinformation, to weaken the chain of command and to cause it to break. In these times, it is very important for the AFP's chain of command to be intact," he said.