MANILA, Philippines—Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said he was sure the Philippine military would not follow the example of its counterpart in Myanmar, which detained civilian officials, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and took over the government in a so far bloodless coup.
In the Philippines, Lorenzana said the military and police are happy with the rule of President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte, Lorenzana told reporters, “has our full support.”
“It will never happen,” he said. “First, Myanmar is ruled by a military junta. We are not.”
Duterte, Lorenzana added, also enjoys “very high approval ratings.”
The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos was believed ousted in a civilian-backed military coup led by two of Marcos’ most trusted lieutenants—then defense chief Juan Ponce Enrile and then constabulary commander Fidel V. Ramos.
A massive assembly of civilians on Edsa outside of the police and military headquarters prevented a military strike that could have bought time for Marcos, who was forced to flee.
The late president Corazon Aquino took over in a revolutionary capacity followed by regular elections but her tenure was disrupted by a series of coup attempts backed by Marcos loyalists and disgruntled military officers.
When Joseph Estrada was barely on his second term as President, leaders of the military and civil society groups also gathered on Edsa to demand his ouster for massive corruption. Estrada was forced to step down and was replaced by his vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Discontent in the military also led to at least two coup attempts against Arroyo, who had been accused of massive corruption, too.
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