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No destabilization: AFP chief says 'taken out of context'

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Philippine Army soldiers stand at attention during the celebration of the 126th Philippine Army Founding Anniversary in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on March 22, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/05/18/20230322-ph-army-126th-anniversary-soldiers-jc1509.jpg"/><figcaption>Philippine Army soldiers stand at attention during the celebration of the 126th Philippine Army Founding Anniversary in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on March 22, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA (UPDATE 2) — The security sector moved quickly on Saturday to douse talk of a destablization plot prompted by comments by Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. — armed forces chief of staff — on Friday that he said were taken out of context.Brawner had urged troops at a change of command ceremony in Zamboanga City on Friday to ignore potential invitations from retired military officials to join a plot against the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.He told reporters on Saturday that he had only reminded soldiers not to participate in movements and rallies.He added he talked about destabilization &quot;efforts&quot; and not an actual plot. &quot;In his message to the troops...he merely mentioned the reported efforts by certain individuals to upset the peace and stability that the country is enjoying right now,&quot; Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said in a statement on Saturday morning.Brawner did not disclose any names.He also declined to give details on his warning of &quot;infiltration that is happening in the country, including Zamboanga City and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.&quot;<div>No destabilization plot </div>In a separate statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año — a former AFP chief himself — said there may have been criticism from among retired officers but that these have been &quot;within the bounds of our democratic space.&quot;Año said there may have been &quot;healthy and passionate exchanges (and) debates&quot; among active and retired officers, &quot;and even criticisms against [a] few policies of the current administration.&quot;He stressed that there is no plot against the government. &quot;The security sector shall remain vigilant and ready to take immediate actions against any sinister group that will undermine our national security,&quot; he also said.Police Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., head of the Philippine National Police, said there is no basis to say a plot exists. He said that the uniformed services may have had issues with government attempts to tinker with their pensions, but that these have been resolved. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/02/23/diokno-disappointed-over-houses-watered-down-military-pension-reform-bill">Diokno disappointed over watered down MUP bill passed by lower house</a></li></ul>&quot;So, I don&#x27;t see any reason for any destabilization,&quot; he said.Allegations of destabilization attempts were common during the previous Duterte administration but there has been little talk of plots against Marcos Jr.Marcos Jr., who ran on a platform of unity, had majority approval of 65% in a Pulse Asia survey in September, although down from 80% in June.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/02/23/marcos-duterte-approval-scores-fall-pulse-asia">Marcos, Duterte suffer &#x27;significant erosions&#x27; in approval scores: Pulse Asia</a></li></ul>The Marcos Jr. administration has had to contend with the rising prices of food and fuel, as well as increased Chinese activity in the West Philippine Sea.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2839023" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Commenting on the approval ratings in October, De La Salle University political science professor Anthony Lawrence Borja said a decrease in approval &quot;is unavoidable if the problems persist.&quot;Borja told ABS-CBN News on Saturday that Brawner&#x27;s mention of the supposed destabilization efforts could be &quot;a way to depoliticize the armed forces, that is, to keep it away from contentious politics.&quot; He added that if a plot actually exists, it &quot;raises the question about the civilian elements behind such supposed overtures to a coup.&quot;&quot;History shows that it is rare for a coup to be purely a military affair,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/03/23/china-anxious-with-ph-efforts-to-assert-sovereignty-in-west-ph-sea-analyst">China &#x27;anxious&#x27; with PH efforts to assert sovereignty in West PH Sea: analyst</a></li></ul>In a follow-up statement on Saturday, Año said top officials&#x27; &quot;trust rating remains high indicating that the people are satisfied on the performance of the government.&quot; — with a report by Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News

Brawner, speaking at the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command, had urged troops to ignore potential calls from the unnamed group to join.