Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. awards the Presidential Saber Award to Cadet First Class Jeneth Elumba, valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Bagong Sinag Class of 2024 at the  PMA Grandstand, Fort del Pilar, Baguio City on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176491404774120240518-bbm-pma-valedictorian-PPA-2_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. awards the Presidential Saber Award to Cadet First Class Jeneth Elumba, valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Bagong Sinag Class of 2024 at the  PMA Grandstand, Fort del Pilar, Baguio City on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — There is nothing wrong with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s frequent visit to military camps, Malacañang said on Friday, when asked if the commander-in-chief has been making an effort to win over uniformed personnel amid talk of potential ouster plots against the administration.</p><p>A few weeks after reports of a military-backed government reset, Marcos Jr. has visited two military camps in Mindanao, approved an increase in the base pay of all uniformed personnel, and frequently reiterated an earlier move to hike their daily subsistence allowance to P350.</p><p>“Hanggang may oras po ang Pangulo, hindi po ito dapat kinukuwestiyon. Ang pagbisita sa ating mga kasundaluhan, sa mga uniformed personnel ay nararapat lamang po bilang commander-in-chief,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters.</p><p>“Wala po itong kinalaman kung mayroon mang isyu ngayon. Obligasyon po ng Pangulo na bisitahin sila,” she said.</p><p>Critics of the administration should not question added benefits for the military and other uniformed personnel as they sacrifice their lives to fulfill their duties and mandate, the PCO official said.</p><p>“Ang pagkilala po sa mga kasundaluhan po natin, hindi po ito nababatay kung ano po ang nangyayaring ingay ngayon, mga political noise. Karapatan po nila at dapat lamang pong kilalanin ang kanilang pagiging bayani ng ating bayan,” she said.</p><p>“So, sa mga ganiyang usapin, mga negatibo na ibinibigay at pinupukol sa Pangulo, hindi po ito magpapatigil sa Pangulo para bigyan ng tulong ang ating mga kasundaluhan,” she added.</p><p>When asked why the President was quick to hike the salaries and benefits for the military, while a petition for a regional wage hike for ordinary Filipino workers remains in limbo, Castro said: “Hindi po iyong sakop ng Pangulo.”</p><p>“Hindi po pinapahinto ng Pangulo ang pagtataas ng suweldo na within his power pero iyong pagtaas po iyong binabanggit nila na halagang P200, iyan po ay nasa kamay na po ng Kongreso,” she said.</p><p>“Mayroon po tayo sa Tripartite Board. Mayroon pong increase, hindi po ito maikakaila. Iyong sinasabi po nilang wage hike na 200 pesos, ito po ay saklaw ng Kongreso,” she added.</p><p>Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier said that several uniformed officials urged him to join an effort to replace the current administration with a “caretaker” approved by the military amid corruption allegations hounding both the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President.</p><p>The current military leadership has denied that there is a brewing ouster plot, while tycoon Ramon Ang — who was reportedly being eyed as the government caretaker — denied that there was such an offer.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MARCOS JR. ‘PROUD’ OF SON SANDRO</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><p>Malacañang meanwhile said Marcos is “proud” of his firstborn son and House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos for voluntarily submitting himself before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) after his reported involvement in alleged budget insertions.</p><p>The younger Marcos — who was tagged in former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co’s corruption allegations — appeared before the ICI on December 4. He requested for an executive session, but later on told reporters that he leaves it up to the panel if they want to make the recording of his public.</p><p>“Doon pa lang po bilang magulang ay proud sila sa kanilang anak,” Castro said.</p><p>“Bilang magulang makikita natin kung papaano ba pinalaki ng mga magulang ang isang anak: disente, hindi takot, matapang na humarap sa imbestigasyon, hindi nagtago, nagboluntaryo pa, kinilala ang ICI — hindi tulad ng iba,” she added.</p><p>Castro did not mention any names, but it can be recalled that Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte recently made headlines for rejecting the ICI’s invitation, saying that the panel had no legal jurisdiction over lawmakers, and questioning its members’ biases.</p><p>“May kasabihan tayo: ‘Buntot niya, hila niya.’ It means, you are responsible for the consequences of your own acts,” Castro said when asked about Duterte’s ICI snub.</p><p>“Marami na pong mga mambabatas na gumalang sa pagpapatawag ng ICI, nagbigay ng kanilang mga response, ng kanilang mga nalalaman,” she said.</p><p>“Kung walang itinatago, hindi dapat magtago.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R-9wJUhmza4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>There is nothing wrong with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s frequent visit to military camps, Malacañang said on Friday, when asked if the commander-in-chief has been making an effort to win over uniformed personnel.</p>

There is nothing wrong with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s frequent visit to military camps, Malacañang said on Friday, when asked if the commander-in-chief has been making an effort to win over uniformed personnel.

Palace downplays 'suspicions' over Marcos' series of military perks, visits

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Palace downplays 'suspicions' over Marcos' series of military perks, visits

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 05, 2025 02:06 PM PHT

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Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Sandro Marcos

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