THE military and police organizations yesterday dismissed reports that soldiers and policemen have resigned to show support for former President Rodrigo Duterte who was arrested last Tuesday for crimes against humanity and brought to the Netherlands to face the International Criminal Court.
The Armed Forces and the PNP cautioned the public anew against readily believing unverified social media posts, like those on the supposed resignations.
“We have not received any report about soldiers who have resigned,” said Col. Louie Dema-ala, Philippine Army spokesperson.
Dema-ala said the public should not believe these reports because they were spread on social media.
He also said the Army is intact and remains committed to the chain of command.
“No need for loyalty check,” said Dema-ala. “The Army remains professional and we are focused on our mandate.”
Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo said there are no resignations in the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
“We have not monitored any unrest or noted any personnel resignations, and our airmen remain alert and ready to perform their duty to maintain peace and security,” she said.
Castillo also said the Air Force “remains a professional organization focused on performing our mandate to protect the state and our people.”
Navy spokesman Capt. John Percie Alcos said the Navy “is a professional organization that adheres to the chain of command” and it remains “steadfast in our duty to ensure national security and stability.”
“The Philippine Navy assures all Filipinos that we uphold the highest standard of professionalism. Every sailor and marine will remain loyal to the constitution and to the oath that we took to serve the country and the Filipino people,” said Alcos.
DISCERNMENT
Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, Armed Forces spokesperson, said the resignation reports “remain unverified.”
“We urge everyone to exercise critical discernment and avoid spreading unconfirmed information,” she also said.
Padilla said military remains a “professional, unified, and non-partisan institution” that is committed to its constitutional mandate of defending the nation and the Filipino people.
“We call on all Filipinos to exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law. Let us prioritize unity and allow the legal processes to unfold. We have full confidence on our institutions to handle this matter with due diligence,” she added.
Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, PNP spokesperson, said there is no truth to the resignation reports.
“I talked to personnel (PNP officials). So far there is no confirmation on this,” she said.
Fajardo also said there are a lot of misinformation and disinformation on social media targeting the PNP.
“Our request to the public is to be discerning,” said Fajardo, adding the public should not readily believe what they read on social media.
Fajardo also said policemen are not allowed to express on social media their sentiments on the issue, as they could be seen as partisan.
“If they are against (the arrest of Duterte), that is their right but as long as they are members of the PNP, they should observe some policy in airing their sentiments on social media,” she said.
“There are certain ethical standards and norms within the PNP in expressing your views, especially since the PNP is an apolitical and non-partisan organization,” she also said.
Asked about sanctions, Fajardo said PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said policemen should be reminded that “while they have a right to have their own views, as long as they are members of the PNP, there are certain limits in expressing their views.”
HIGH MORALE
Fajardo, in a forum in Malacañang, said the policemen’s morale is “high” as they successfully accomplished their mission of assisting in the service of the arrest warrant, and in the arrest and turnover of Duterte to Interpol and ICC authorities.
“Our policemen are professionals. We knew that we were there to fulfill our mandate and we did that, and as we said, it was a mission accomplished so the morale of the police is high,” she said in Filipino.
TRAVEL ADVISORY
Australia yesterday updated its travel advisory for its citizens going to the Philippines, saying there is an increased risk of civil unrest following recent events.
The PNP on Tuesday raised a nationwide heightened alert, in anticipation of mass gatherings by both supporters and critics of Duterte.
Duterte supporters staged several mass actions in Mindanao and other parts of the country after his arrest on Tuesday.
“We continue to advise to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines. There’s an increased risk of demonstration and civil unrest following recent events,” the advisory said.
It said Australian citizens in the country should “avoid protests and large gatherings as they may turn violent” and transport and other essential services might be disrupted.
It urged Australian citizens to monitor the media for updates and heed the advice of local authorities.
Australia retained in its latest advisory a previous warning to its citizens not to travel to parts of Mindanao, such as the Zamboanga Peninsula, Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea due to the very high threat of terrorism and kidnapping. – With Jocelyn Montemayor and Ashzel Hachero
