Philippine defense and military chiefs reject call to defect from Marcos over flood control uproar

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine defense and military chiefs rejected a call for the country’s armed forces to withdraw support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in response to public outrage over allegations of massive corruption in flood control projects that have implicated several congressmen and public works officials and sparked pockets of street protests.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. issued a joint statement late Friday expressing their rejection of “all attempts to patronize the Armed Forces of the Philippines by certain groups that insinuate or suggest unconstitutional, unilateral interventions.”

They did not elaborate, but underscored that the 160,000-member military was non-partisan, professional and “abides by the constitution through the chain-of-command.”

The House of Representatives, the Senate and Marcos’ administration have been investigating alleged substandard and non-existent flood control projects in separate televised inquiries. Dozens of legislators, senators, construction companies and public works engineers were identified and accused of pocketing huge kickbacks that financed lavish lifestyles and high-stakes casino gambling.

The corruption scandal has been especially sensitive in a poverty-stricken Southeast country that is prone to deadly typhoons and floodings that devastate entire towns and villages multiple times each year.

Unlike recent violent protests in Nepal and Indonesia, street rallies against alleged abuses in the Philippines have been smaller and relatively peaceful. Outrage is largely vented online, including by Catholic church leaders, business executives and retired generals.

During a recent rally, a speaker called on the military to withdraw its loyalty from Marcos and called on Filipinos to stage a non-violent “people power” revolt similar to army-backed uprisings that ousted Ferdinand Marcos, the current president’s late father and namesake, in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001.

“At this critical juncture for our national security in the face of threats to our peace and regional stability, politically motivated attempts to distract the Armed Forces of the Philippines from focusing on its mission are not only futile but also irresponsible,” said Teodoro and Brawner, who backed the anti-corruption investigation led by Marcos.

“The strength of our republic rests on the rule of law and the unity of our people,” they said. “At this crucial time, we call on every Filipino to place their trust in our democratic institutions, to respect our processes.”

Two high-ranking national security and defense officials told The Associated Press there was no currently monitored threat of secessionism within the military and the police forces. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the delicate issue publicly.

A confidential government security assessment seen by The AP said groups opposed politically to Marcos were joining the public outrage over the flood control corruption, but added that a major “people power” uprising was highly unlikely without support from key groups led by the military.

“Drastic movements in the military and other uniformed service are very unlikely due to strong loyalty and patriotism … to constitution, the flag, and the president,” according to the intelligence assessment.

The Philippines has spent an estimated 545 billion pesos ($9.6 billion) for thousands of flood mitigation projects in the last three years. The projects were under government review to determine which ones are substandard or non-existent as Marcos said he has found during recent inspections he led in some flood-prone provinces, including in Bulacan, a densely populated province north of Manila.

Marcos formed an independent commission to investigate the massive anomalies he described as “horrible” and prompted him to withhold fundings for flood control projects at least for next year and accept the resignation of the public works secretary.