Philippines arrests ex-general who called for president’s ouster

MANILA – A former Philippine air force general accused of encouraging the military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos was arrested on a charge of sedition on Jan 5 at Manila’s international airport.

Mr Romeo Poquiz, who had publicly called for the armed forces to “withdraw their support” from Mr Marcos amid

a burgeoning corruption scandal

, was detained by Philippine national police after returning from a holiday in Thailand, interior department secretary Jonvic Remulla told AFP.

“He was arrested for the charge of sedition in connection (with) his recent statements. He was arrested upon arrival from Bangkok this morning,” Mr Remulla said in a text message.

Speaking at a news conference, acting police chief Jose Nartatez said Mr Poquiz had been detained on the basis of a Dec 5 warrant.

The 67-year-old ex-general confirmed his arrest in a post on Facebook.

“I was arrested by the (Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) at the Airport Terminal... Long live the Filipino!” Mr Poquiz said, adding he was being taken to Manila’s Camp Crame police headquarters.

The ex-general’s lawyer, Mr Ferdinand Topacio, told AFP he had not yet been allowed to meet with his client.

He added that calls for the military to withdraw its support for Mr Marcos had not been “direct incitements to sedition but rather... a discussion of possible outcomes of graft and corruption”.

“This just shows that the government is denouncing those who speak about wrongdoing, instead of those who are stealing the people’s money,” Mr Topacio said.

Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said in October that the nation’s “battle staff” had rebuffed retired officers led by Mr Porquiz who aired their grievances with Mr Marcos, saying they were told the military was “solid” in its support of the Constitution.

Gen Brawner also said that retired officers had reached out to younger officers seeking a “coup d’etat, a military junta” to “reset” Philippine society without disclosing their names.

The alleged push for military intervention came as Manila was gearing up for Sept 21 anti-corruption protests sparked by bogus flood control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

Mr Marcos, who made the widespread fraud

the centrepiece of a July national address

, has since seen friend and foe alike implicated in the scandal, with some political opponents suggesting he was a key beneficiary of the corruption.

Speaking at the signing of a new national budget on Jan 5, Mr Marcos made no mention of the arrest. AFP