No 'grumblings' in AFP amid Marcos-Duterte feud, military official says

There are no grumblings within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid the ongoing feud between President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida said.

The AFP official made the remark during the Commission on Appointments (CA) committee on national defense hearing on his promotion when asked by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.

"Are there any grumbling(s) sa military ngayon because of the recent events?" Estrada asked.

Larida responded, "Hundred percent none, sir."

The military official also answered in the affirmative when asked by Estrada if the AFP will be loyal to the constitution.

Amid the word war between the two top officials of the country, former President Rodrigo Duterte--father of the vice president, challenged the military to protect the constitution amid what he called the "fractured governance in the Philippines."

Duterte also asked the military if it would continue to support Marcos if it knew he was a “drug addict.”

“Hanggang kailan kayo mag suporta ng "drug addict" na presidente?” Duterte asked.

(Until when will you support a "drug addict" President?)

“I challenge the whole military kasi (because) they're supposed to be the protector of the constitution,” he added.

On Tuesday, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla requested for the AFP to be spared from any political issues, emphasizing that they are a "non-partisan" organization.

The AFP spokesperson pointed out that political issues are “all noise” and there are more issues that should be addressed.

“These are all noise that is going on. And we request po na do not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead. So, marami po tayong issues na dapat harapin na hindi po natin gusto na malihis po ang usapin sa ibat ibang ingay na kumakalat po,” she said.

(These are all noises that are going on. And we request that we do not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead. So, we have many issues to deal with that we don't want to divert the discussion to different noises.)

For Padilla, there is no need for a loyalty check among the ranks as AFP Chief-of-Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. trusts that AFP personnel will perform their task.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News