AFP intel chief: No destabilization plot amid Sara impeach bids

The intelligence chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday expressed confidence that there is no destabilization plot within the ranks amid the impeachment moves against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Lieutenant General Ferdinand Barandon, commander of the AFP Intelligence Command, made the assurance during the confirmation hearing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) Committee on National Defense when asked by Batangas Rep. Marvey Mariño if there was a cause for concern within the military in view of the ongoing push to impeach the vice president.

"Is there anything boiling? Meron po bang usap-usapan, maybe not in your rank, or maybe the retired members of AFP? Kung may usap-usapan man po ano ba ito, kuwento kuwento lang? Is there anything we should be worried about?" Mariño asked.

(Is there anything boiling? Are there talks, maybe not within your ranks, or maybe among the retired members of the AFP? If there are such talks, are these just stories? Is there anything we should be worried about?)

In response, Barandon said "there is nothing to worry about" as far as the AFP is concerned.

"I would like to emphasize, as mentioned by our Chief of Staff—we'll be mission-focused and we will abide by duly-constituted authority. As to the retired officers, I think I'm not in the position to talk about what they are thinking or what they would want to do," Barandon said.

"We are confident and again I would like to re-echo the statement of the Chief of Staff as well as senior commanders of the AFP [who] are constantly talking to members of the AFP on matters pertaining to our mission and also our constitutional duty to defend the Constitution as well as the people," he added.

The AFP intelligence chief stressed that military officers are "professionals and mission-oriented" who "follow the chain of command."

Barandon also said monitoring external interference was their priority after he was asked about the possibility of foreign countries taking advantage of the current political situation.

"It's a part of our intelligence gathering as mentioned a while ago, sir. As the AFP slowly transitioned to external security operations. The monitoring of foreign malign operations as well as the interference is of utmost importance and we are more than glad to inform the body in an executive session of some specifics of this activity," Barandon said.

Last week, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant Gen. Jimmy Larida also told a CA panel that there were no grumblings within the AFP amid the ongoing feud between President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Duterte.

His remark came after 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."

The former president also asked the military if it would continue to support Marcos if it knew he was a "drug addict."

AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla earlier appealed for the AFP to be spared from any political issues, emphasizing that it is a "non-partisan" organization.

The AFP spokesperson pointed out that political issues were "all noise" and there were 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 iba't 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 was 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. — VDV, GMA Integrated News