AFP 鈥榬emains united鈥� amid political tension after Duterte arrest
As the country contends with the political tension fueled by the arrest and detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida vowed on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, that the military would remain united and perform its tasks in keeping with the 1987 Constitution. Armed Forces of the Philippines logo. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines—As the country contends with the political tension fueled by the arrest and detention of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the military remains united and keen to perform its tasks in keeping with the 1987 Constitution.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Jimmy Larida, made this pronouncement during a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) panel discussion on Wednesday.
“Our chief of staff, General Romeo Brawner Jr., always talks to the field commanders and has only one matching order: to remain loyal to the national flag and always perform our task under the Constitution,” Larida said in a mix of Filipino and English.
“Rest assured that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is one and united in serving our nation. That is, again, to perform our mission in accordance with the Constitution,” Larida added.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero recently issued a statement saying that the AFP should remain nonpartisan, particularly on the arrest of Duterte.
Duterte was arrested on March 11 based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity allegations stemming from his administration’s anti-narcotics campaign. The former president was flown to The Hague, Netherlands, where he is now awaiting the start of his trial.
Escudero also appealed to Vice President Sara Duterte to stop trying to win over the military to take their side.
READ: Public servants must be apolitical, keep off Duterte issues – Palace
In a Tuesday palace briefing, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro defended the Senate president by saying, “Public servants should be apolitical.”
“The public servant should be apolitical. They should not be dragged into these personal issues, especially those of the Dutertes. SP [Senate President] Chiz Escudero is right: We should not keep calling on the military and the police to accommodate the requests of a particular person or a specific family,” Castro said in Filipino.
