DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said calls for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to turn its back on the chief executive would not succeed, and warned that those egging on the troops to do this could face criminal prosecution.
The AFP will not let itself be used to support a partisan agenda that aligns with the interest of another country, said Teodoro.
The soldiers will carry on with their duty to uphold the constitution, he said
“Any attempt to sway them away from this duty or to patronize them to support a partisan agenda is futile, particularly when this agenda dovetails with a foreign interest contrary to our own national interests,” he said in a statement.
“Calls for them to ‘withdraw support’ will not amount to anything but to a possible criminal investigation,” he added.
Teodoro, who is also a lawyer, issued the statement after Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez called on the military to “peacefully” withdraw their support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in order to bring peace in the country.
Alvarez made the remarks in a rally where speakers took turns criticizing the Marcos administration.
He has since contended that nothing in his remarks was seditious.
