Philippine Military Chief Rejects Call For Coup Ferdinand Marcos Jr

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr./DOK PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/Cesar Tomambo

JAKARTA - The Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, General Romeo Brawner, firmly rejected calls from a group of retired military officers to overthrow President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The Sri Lanka Guardian newspaper reported by ANTARA, Friday, October 3, Brawner revealed that several retired military personnel who oppose the current government and are involved in recruitment activities have tried to contact active commanders and even suggested intervening through a coup, according to the report.

"They say that there are other people who deserve to be president, but they don't mention who that person is," Brawner was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Panglima Brawner menegaskan semua usulan semacam itu telah ditolak raw-menah, dan ia yakin bahwa professionalisme di dalam tubuh militer Filipina akan mencegah keterlibatan dalam tindakan semacam itu.

Any military involvement will bring the Philippines back for years, stressing the importance of restoring public trust.

Currently, the Philippines is conducting a large-scale investigation into corruption involving flood protection infrastructure projects.

The investigation was initially initiated by local business circles, before finally getting support from President Marcos Jr.

Sebelumnya pada September lalu, Menteri Keuangan Filipina, Ralph Recto, menyatakan bahwa negara mengalami kerugian antara 25 persen hingga 70 persen dari dana publik yang dialokasikan untuk proyek infrastruktur banjir akibat praktik korupsi.

Anti-corruption demonstrations taking place in Manila at the end of September turned violent, which left 40 police officers injured and more than 200 protesters detained, many of whom were minors.