Philippine military head says he rejected calls to unseat President Marcos
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Philippines military chief Romeo Brawner Jr on Oct 3 said some retired officers had reached out to him directly to unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA – The Philippines’ military chief said he rejected calls by some retired officers for the armed forces to remove President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Armed Forces Chief of the Philippines, General Romeo Brawner Jr, on Oct 3 said some retired officers held “recruitment activities” and reached out to him directly to unseat Mr Marcos, including via a coup.
“I was confident that none (of us) will heed the call to intervene because of the professionalism that we have reached,” General Brawner told foreign correspondents.
“Once military intervenes, it will set us back several years,” he added. “Investors will start pulling out.”
He said the retirees’ grievances were “mainly against Marcos”.
Mr Marcos has publicly feuded with his former ally, Vice-President Sara Duterte, due to political differences, including the turnover of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity over the drug war during his administration.
The Marcos administration is also clamping down on corruption in government flood-control projects. Anger at graft triggered large street protests in September. Bloomberg
