AFP dismisses destabilization, coup plots vs administration
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday dismissed as “baseless” and “far removed from reality” supposed plans to unseat President Marcos or at least destabilize his administration.
The AFP also issued a separate statement denying a purported coup plot involving Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and supposedly backed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The military called the claims “dangerous disinformation” and a “a vile and malicious fabrication” meant to “poison the minds of our people, weaken the chain of command and sow division between the Commander-in-Chief and the Armed Forces.”
“The AFP remains loyal to the Constitution and will follow the chain of command,” the statement said. “It is fully committed to defending the Republic—not betraying it.”
‘Intact and united’
“Our loyalty does not rest on politics or personalities, but firmly on the Constitution, the Republic and the Filipino people,” said AFP Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad. “The AFP’s role is clear: to defend our democratic institutions, not to arbitrate political disputes.”
Trinidad stressed that the military remains a “professional and disciplined force” with its chain of command “intact and united,” rejecting what he described as “malicious narratives” seeking to link the AFP to intrigue and attempts to undermine the administration.
The statement came after Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Manny Mogato claimed in his opinion column on the digital news outlet Mencari and his personal Substack on Wednesday that a religious leader allegedly met with a top Army commander to seek a withdrawal of military support for Marcos weeks before the Sept. 21 anticorruption protests.
The church leader, Mogato claimed, wanted Vice President Sara Duterte to assume power once Marcos was ousted, but the Army official rejected the proposal.
As the protests wound down, Mogato noted that violent incidents outside Malacañang, where masked demonstrators hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at police, raised questions about whether some groups sought to escalate tensions. INQ
Then on Friday, President Marcos met with members of the Association of General and Flag Officers (AGFO) at the Palace to discuss military issues, including the proposed salary standardization for uniformed personnel and the ongoing AFP modernization program.
Also present were Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., and AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
