Philippine Military Leaders Affirm Loyalty to Marcos Amid Corruption Allegations
MANILA, Philippines – Top Philippine defense and military officials publicly reaffirmed their support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, rejecting calls for the armed forces to withdraw allegiance following public outrage over alleged corruption in flood control projects. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.and Armed Forces of the philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law and unity.
The statement came in response to a recent rally where a speaker urged the military to defect and called for a “people power” revolt reminiscent of the uprisings that ousted Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001. teodoro and brawner defended the ongoing anti-corruption investigation initiated by Marcos, calling attempts to distract the military “futile and irresponsible.”
According to a confidential government security assessment obtained by the Associated Press, while groups opposed to Marcos are leveraging public anger over the flood control issues, a large-scale uprising is considered unlikely without military backing. The assessment indicated strong loyalty within the armed forces and police, citing patriotism and commitment to the constitution and the president.
The controversy centers on an estimated 545 billion pesos ($9.6 billion) spent on flood mitigation projects over the past three years. President Marcos has personally inspected projects and found evidence of substandard or non-existent work, leading to the formation of an autonomous commission to investigate the “horrible” anomalies. Funding for future flood control projects has been temporarily withheld, and the public works secretary has resigned.
Two national security and defense officials, speaking anonymously to AP, confirmed there are currently no monitored threats of secessionism within the military or police.